Magical Night
by MacKenzie-1111
Summary: Lois and Clark go for the weekend to Star City to attend the event of the year. Will they get their 'magical night' or continue to stubbornly ignore what may be between them.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Magical Nights

Rating: I think I'm going to rate chapter by chapter. Leave my options open. We're starting PG.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything involving Superman or Smallville.

Spoilers: I don't plan on any.

Summary: Lois and Clark spend the weekend together in Star City. I so bad with summaries.

A/N: This first chapter contains a lot of setup. I needed to get the pieces in place. The action will pick up, I promise. This is set in or around season 8. I didn't want to deal with any Bride fallout, so I'm not specifying where this might happen on the show's timeline.

I have very little knowledge of the Green Arrow or his lore outside of the special features on Smallville...I wasn't even sure where Star City is supposed to be. I had to turn to my trusty source, Wikipedia, which says that Star City is typically thought to be the San Francisco/Oakland bay area. So, California here we come.

As always, I hope you enjoy!

~*~

Chapter 1:

Lois lounged in one of the soft leather seats adorning Oliver's private jet, sipping on a glass of twenty-five year old Scotch. She released a contented sigh and thought to herself that this was the only way to travel. Out of all Oliver's good qualities, she was certainly enjoying his great taste in liquor the most at the moment - the jet's plush interior and attentive staff certainly didn't dampen her mood.

Oliver invited Clark and herself to Star City for a weekend of relaxation and entertainment. He was hosting the annual Star City Charity Ball on Saturday and had suggested that the two busy reporters could use a weekend away from the hectic bustle of Metropolis. The Ball was super exclusive. Anyone who was anyone would be there. As tempting as the offer had been, her initial reaction was hesitation. She was not sure how to feel about an ex inviting her away for the weekend. She and Oliver were in a good place, but an ex was still an ex when it came right down to it.

She had been rather surprised when Clark had so readily accepted, and to her annoyance it hadn't taken long under the combined persuasion of the two men for her to cave and agree. So, Lois found herself headed to the sun licked beaches of the west coast. _Star City here I come_. At least Clark would be there to keep her company and act as a buffer between her and Oliver, though she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

The pilot came over the speakers to announce that they were on final approach for landing. Lois shifted in her seat and downed the remaining liquid in her crystal highball glass. "Tsk…ahhhh," she hissed as the Scotch burned a pleasant trail down her throat. Her head lolled back and she relaxed even more into the plush cushions. _Maybe this weekend would be a lot of fun, who knew?_ She put herself in the mind set to enjoy whatever the weekend had in store. She deserved the time off. She knew how badly her body needed a break and her mind was ready to turn off and have some fun. Besides, in her book there was nothing wrong with a billionaire picking up the ticket for a couple days of splurging. Oliver better brace himself because she planned to splurge if for no other reason than payback for him using Clark to double team her. A knowing smile split her lips as she felt the plane touch down with a jolt and squeal of the tires.

Lois stood and stretched, reaching for her bags, but the flight attendant beat her to it. "I've got these ma'am," Jennifer said. Lois had had a pleasant chat with her about flying all over the world with a billionaire when she first boarded.

"I told you, Jennifer, call me Lois...and thank you." Lois smiled at the woman and motioned for her to lead the way. They stepped off the plane into the night air and strode across the tarmac towards a waiting limousine. Oliver certainly hadn't lost his touch. Once again she had no intention of complaining. She was surprised when Oliver himself stepped out of the car and gave her his most charming smile.

"What service. To what do I owe the honor of being met by the man himself," she teased sarcastically and closed the remaining distance between them.

He ignored her comment. "Welcome to Star City, Lois. I'm really glad you finally decided to accept my hospitality." She rolled her eyes as his comment reminded her of the badgering she had had to endure before accepting his _hospitality_. His smile never faltered as he put his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the car. Lois ducked into the limousine, followed a moment later by Oliver.

"You and Clark didn't really give me a choice. Speaking of Clark, where is Smallville?" She looked around curiously as if he would suddenly appear at the mere mention of his name. Clark had left work before lunch to get here early. She didn't understand what the hurry was, but she had learned that questioning Clark on his odd behavior rarely earned her anything but a headache.

"He is being shown around the city by some friends of mine. He plans to meet you at the hotel later on tonight." Oliver's original plan had involved them staying with him at his sprawling mansion, but Lois wasn't interested in being reminded of her last sojourn there. So, he had made arrangements for them at the Grand, his ritzy downtown hotel. It was considered by many to be the nicest in Star City. "Are you hungry?"

"No. I ate before I left and you provided some really great hors d'oeuvres during the flight." He grinned and shrugged his shoulders at her compliment. "Besides, it's eleven o'clock at night, Oliver."

"Not here. It's only eight."

"Right…time change. Well, my body thinks it's late." Lois looked out the tinted windows at the bright city whizzing by. It was no Metropolis, she thought to herself, but it held a beauty all its own.

Oliver noticed a faraway look come over Lois. "You're going to have a great time, Lois, and I'm glad you came. I haven't been in Metropolis much lately and I've missed you and Clark." He would have mentioned Chloe as well, but Lois wasn't aware how well he knew her cousin. "I have some things to take care of tonight. I don't mean to be a bad host, but I'm going to have to leave you on your own for the evening. Shea's is a really great restaurant located downstairs in the Grand. The staff knows you're staying this weekend and will get you anything you need. My treat, of course," he winked at her.

She rolled her eyes, but inside she was smiling. It appeared that after all this time she still wasn't completely immune to his charm, but he did fail to send her heart racing as that smile once would have. She was just glad to have him as a friend. As she thought about the next several days, the thing that surprised her most was how much she wasn't dreading spending the time almost entirely with Clark. A weekend spent hanging out with Smallville? It would be like old times. Her mind had drifted away as he continued to talk, but she tuned into his voice again.

"If that doesn't appeal to you there are several nice clubs, bars, and restaurants within walking distance, but I'll have a car at your disposal for any occasion. Kyle, your chauffeur, can tell you all about the area."

Lois's eyes darted to the before mentioned chauffeur. She smiled softly. "Thanks Ollie. I'm sure I won't have a problem finding something to amuse myself."

The car came to a stop and the two occupants stepped out into the beautiful hotel. Several of the staff called out greetings to their easily recognizable boss as Lois and Ollie made their way through the lobby. "I'll get your room key if you want to take a quick look around," Oliver said and moved towards the front desk.

Lois did just that, wandering off to the side and letting her mind drift. She wondered when Clark would make it to the hotel. She was curious why he was hanging out with friends of Oliver's. That struck her as odd. What could a Kansas farm boy have in common with the members of the social circle of a playboy billionaire?

Oliver walked up behind her followed by a bellhop carrying her luggage. "Okay. You two are all set," he informed her, handing her an electronic key card. They boarded the elevator and he used the a second card, swiping a box above the buttons to each floor. A button at the very top that she hadn't noticed before lit up. Oliver reached out and pressed it. "I think you're going to like this." Her eyebrows rose but she remained silent, her stomach flipping slightly at the speed with which the car shot up. The elevator doors slid open to reveal a gorgeous open room. Ceiling to floor windows ringed the area. Two platinum gilded doors led out to an expansive balcony. As they walked in she noticed a pool sitting off to her left. A pool...in the room! Her jaw hit the floor as she took in the rest of the suit. It was lavishly furnished and screamed money. A ridiculously large flat panel TV faced three large tasteful leather couches that looked incredibly inviting. Two, what she was assuming were bedrooms, sat side by side on the far side of the room. She would have to explore those later and pick out the best one for herself, of course.

"Maybe this will make up for all the harassment I had to put you through to get you here," Oliver quipped, and waved his arm to sweep over the entire room.

"Geez, Oliver couldn't you have splurged? You do own the place," Lois exclaimed in surprise, laying the sarcasm on heavy. "This is too much. You didn't have to do all this…really," she said softly, seriousness laced in her words.

"I thought it would be more convenient if you two stayed together," he said mischievously, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Lois' brow furrowed and she stared sideways at him as she moved through the suite. She didn't want to imagine how much it ran a night, but she planned to enjoy every second she was here. She plopped down on the love seat by the window and let out a happy sigh. "Convenient. Huh," she said suspiciously, her eyes taking in the beautiful downtown skyline. "Thank you doesn't seem like enough, but it's all I've got. Thanks Oliver."

"It's more than enough. I have to share this place with someone after all. Who better than my two good friends? I hope you enjoy the digs. Push Clark into the pool or something for me," he said with a wink, already moving towards the elevator. "Well, Lois, unfortunately I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow if not later on tonight."

Lois nodded, her eyes never straying from the window as she waved goodbye. The doors opened and closed with a mechanical whirl behind Oliver and the bellhop. Even though her day had been very long, Lois found that she wasn't tired. The splendor surrounding her had injected her with a giddy energy. She thought about Oliver's suggestion to check out the restaurant downstairs. Lois considered waiting for Clark, but she had no idea when he would be back. _What the hell, I'm always up for a good meal_, she thought and headed for the door, picking up their room keys as she went.

Lois quickly made it downstairs and proceeded through the clear glass doors with Shea's stenciled in gold in the center. She took a moment to call Clark's cell phone. She did have both keys after all. He didn't pick up and she was directed to his voicemail. She briefly wondered what was keeping him to busy to answer before leaving him a succinct message explaining where she was. A short blonde stood behind a glass podium smiling brightly at her as she slowly proceeded further into the decadent entryway.

"Good evening. Do you have a reservation," the girl asked Lois and ran her eyes over her with a snobby air.

Lois smiled tightly and began to explain. "Not exactly. My name is Lois Lane. I'm here as a guest of Oliver Queen. He said you would be expecting me."

The girl's face morphed into deference and she scanned over a table chart. "Ah yes, Miss Lane. If you would follow me." Lois trailed behind the girl taking in her surroundings. Tables covered in crisp white table clothes and flickering candle light filled the floor. She saw several other doors leading to unseen rooms down a hallway near the entrance. She guessed they were private dining rooms that could be booked for functions. She was quickly becoming overwhelmed by all the grandeur being heaped on her tonight. The roof supported large golden chandeliers that contained sparkling crystals reflecting gentle light across the room. The table settings consisted of far too many utensils for Lois' taste, and white ceramic base plates trimmed in a delicate gold leaf topped by folded black napkins resembling origami.

She realized her guide had stopped and was holding out a chair for her at a window table. "This is a beautiful view. I don't mean to be rude, but do you have anything a little more...casual," she asked looking down at her dark business suite. She had come directly from work and hadn't bothered to change. _I really should have planned this better_, she thought, looking around at the formally dressed patrons of Shea's.

The girl scrunched her nose together as she considered the request. "Well, we do have a pub in the back but-"

"Great! That will be great," Lois cut her off, feeling that anything was better than this.

The girl shrugged and walked down the hallway Lois had noticed moments earlier. They came to two heavy wood doors that swung outwards on brass hinges. The blonde pulled on the thick twisted metallic handle and motioned for Lois to enter. The pub definitely had the feel of a boys club. The lighting was low and she could smell the distinct traces of cigar smoke. Dark wood paneling covered the walls. She spotted brass sconces that provided the area with muted light. A huge bar made of deep green marble dominated the center of the room and was surrounded by a scattering of tables. Several big screen TV's were conveniently spaced through the room, showing various sports. Yep, definitely a boys club, but she was in no mood for Stuffyville out front.

The blonde receptionist looked nervously at Lois, obviously expecting a negative reaction. "This will be perfect." Once again the girl pulled out a chair for her. "You know what? I think I'll eat at the bar." At least that way she could chat with the bartender if she felt like it. Following through on her words, Lois picked a stool and sat at one of the bar's corners. The receptionist kept her features perfectly schooled, not revealing whatever she thought of Mr. Queen's guest's odd requests. She handed Lois a thick menu and wine list before wishing her a good evening. She took a moment to point Lois out to the bartender before slipping quietly out of the pub.

Lois leaned both elbows on the bar, its cold surface seeping into her bare skin. As she looked at the wine list she noticed a guy eyeing her at the end of the bar. She flipped through the leather bound pages and finally settled on a Chardonnay. She could feel the man's stare remain on her even when the bartender took her drink order. She lowered the menu and met his eyes. He misinterpreted her blank stare and flashed her a wide grin as he rose, moving in her direction. _Oh great_, she thought, _here he comes because naturally a girl sitting at a bar without a friend couldn't possibly really want to be alone_. She rolled her eyes and waited for whatever cheesy line he might deliver. The bartender placed her drink in front of her and she proceeded to down half of it in anticipation of having to deal with this guy.

"I see you have chosen a Porta Chardonnay. That's a Chilean vintage grown in Cachapoal and coastal Maipo valleys, I believe," he said to her with practiced smoothness.

_Just my luck…a wine snob_. She forced her eyes to stay on his face. If they had their way they would have rolled dramatically in exasperation. She made a noncommittal noise around her glass and nodded, looking back down at the menu, attempting to brush him off. He didn't take the hint. Instead he sat beside her and continued explaining the virtues of grapes grown in Chili.

She was ready to drop the subtleties and tell the guy in distinct Lois Lane style that she wasn't interested and he could take a hike when he extended his hand and said, "Oh. I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself. Oliver Queen."

Her eyes shot up. _What did he just say_? He was looking at her expectantly, his hand still hanging in the air between them. "O-Oliver Queen?" she questioned, her eyes becoming tight slits as she examined him skeptically.

"That's me. Does my reputation precede me," he asked, his smile taking on a hint of affected self deprecation. She took a moment to look at 'Oliver' - really look at him. He had the blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes, but his jaw wasn't square enough and he was several inches too short. If a person didn't know Oliver personally they might be fooled by the guy. She would bet a months pay that this wasn't the first time he'd used Oliver's name and reputation to pick up a woman. She had to give him credit for the moxie to play this role in the man's own hotel and restaurant.

She quickly made a decision and shook his hand. _This could be fun_, she thought deviously. Lois returned his smile and channeled her best inner bimbo. "I would have to be living under a rock not to have heard of you. You're practically the prince of Star City. My name is Lois," she cooed, giggling and looking at him with what she hoped came off as mindless wide eyed awe. Self satisfaction flashed in his eyes and she could tell he thought he had her on the hook. The contents of Lois' glass quickly disappeared. She figured this little act would be easier with some liquid lubrication.

'Oliver' immediately called the bartender and ordered her another of the same – on his tab – familiarly using the man's name. "No really. You don't have to do that," Lois said, serious for the first time since he sat down.

"Now what kind of host would I be if I didn't buy you a drink?" He waved to the room reminding her that he – well Oliver – owned the place. If the man wanted to buy her a drink while lying through his teeth, who was she to stop him?

"I guess you have a point. Thank you," she awarded him a smile.

~*~

Lois leaned back and let out a light breath. They had talked through her entire meal. She couldn't help but laugh at their little game. It had kept her amused to say the least. She would act like she was buying everything he was telling her and then make a sarcastic comment that hinted at the truth. He would momentarily grow suspicious and worried, but she would easily lull him back into comfortable confidence. He was telling her another story about some exotic adventure he had been on. It was a decent story. To bad it was all a lie, she thought with a shake of her head.

She felt a little tipsy and realized that he had been keeping her glass full. At this point she was fairly certain that he thought he was getting lucky tonight. He was about to be very disappointed because she was tired of the game and ready to go upstairs and enjoy her amazing room...alone. So, for the last few minutes she had been trying to nail him in his lies, but he turned out to be very slippery.

"I'm actually a reporter for an out of town paper. You don't know what it would mean for me to land an interview with the Oliver Queen," she said and leaned in suggestively.

She saw a brief moment of panic flash in his eyes, but it was gone almost as quickly as it came and his mask of confidence was back. "Lois I would love to give you an interview, but unfortunately right now I'm in a press blackout. Laying low if you know what I mean." He winked at her and mirrored her move, leaning in close.

~*~

Clark walked through the revolving door of the hotel and immediately headed for Shea's. He was working with AC and hadn't been able to answer Lois' call, but in her message had told him where she would be.

This had all started when Oliver had asked him to come to Star City for the Charity Ball to help him. Tess Mercer was using the Ball as a cover to meet with several foreign diplomats. Oliver suspected that she was collecting 'special' talent again and setting up new facilities around the world. He wanted to listen in on her meeting, but she was careful and always used equipment to disrupt electronic listening devices. That's where Clark came in.

The problem was that he hated these high society black tie social events and he didn't want to have to endure it alone. So, Oliver told him to bring someone and make a weekend of it. He wasn't sure why the first name on his list had been Lois. He rationalized that it was because he knew she would enjoy this and she needed a break from life's drama. Her stubbornness had reared its head and he had been afraid she would say no, but after a battle of wills he and Oliver finally convinced her.

He mentioned Lois' name and was directed by a small blonde towards a set of doors. He entered the dimly lit pub and spotted Lois at the bar with a man leaning disturbingly close to her. _I leave her alone for a couple of hours and already she has a guy hanging all over her_. He looked like a creep to Clark. A frown bunched his forehead and he harrumphed, walking over to her.

She turned and saw him. Her eyes immediately lit up and she motioned him closer. "Clark! Hey there. I want you to meet someone." If possible his frown deepened. He could detect a slightest of slurs in her words as she mentioned her 'friend'. She grabbed his arm, tugging him into a half embrace.

Her companion eyed him suspiciously and Clark's face hardened into an unbidden glare as he returned the man's gaze. Lois noticed the tension between the two with quiet wonder. Clark was pulling his over protective bit again she noted with a twinge of annoyance. Growing up with the General always hovering over her shoulder, she had developed a knee jerk reflex to male over protectiveness. Annoyance was the mildest of her responses. Her rebellious spirit and sharp sarcastic tongue bubbled under the surface, demanding to be released, but she tugged sharply on the reigns of self control and with her eyes conveyed that Clark had better behave.

"Since we're in Star City, I'm sure you'll find this interesting. I would like to introduce you to Oliver Queen. Oliver this is Clark," she ran her hand up Clark's arm, stroking him possessively and intentionally giving the imposter the impression that they were a couple. The man had foolishly assumed that she was single…well she was but she didn't want people automatically assuming it. He looked confused, disappointed, and irritated at Clark's appearance all at once.

Clark jerked his eyes to meet hers. Her hand was now disturbing him as much as her strange introduction. He was completely confused by both. "What are you talking about, Lois? How much have you had to drink?" She urged him nonverbally to go along with her – eyes widening and neck straining towards him. His face twisted accusingly to her hand as if it were burning him and somehow held the answers to all his questions. She ignored his study of her offending limb and continued to pet his arm.

Tired of being relatively ignored 'Oliver' spoke up, trying to steal Lois' attention back from the large dark haired man she was touching familiarly. "Nice to meet you Clark. Can I get you a drink?"

"I need to speak with Lois for a second…Oliver. Please excuse us." Clark forcefully pulled Lois out of her seat and led her struggling behind him into the hallway. She yelped indignantly at his manhandling.

"Let go of me. What's your problem Clark!" He finally released his grip enough that she was able to jerk her arm free, an incensed glare boring into him. At the sudden loss of his support she wobbled on her feet, losing her balance temporarily. Apparently she had had a glass or two more than she had intended.

"My problem? What is your problem? That is not Oliver Queen." He pointed emphatically back the way they had come. "How drunk do you have to be to make that mistake? And you were..." He couldn't finish his sentence. He just stared at his arm where he could still feel the path her fingers had taken across his skin.

She snorted at him. "Of course that's not Oliver. I would have to be dead to mistake the two. But he claims he is, and I've been having a little fun with him over dinner. You're going to be my easy out because he's definitely interested…unless…did Oliver come with you?"

"He dropped me off a few minutes ago," he answered, still confused. Lois whipped out her cell phone and dialed quickly. "Why are you talking to that creep? He's a liar. He was all over you. He just wants to…wants to…you know." He really sounded angry at the prospect.

She rolled her eyes and mouthed 'duh' as she listened to Ollie's phone ringing. If she didn't know better she would say Clark was jealous. In her distraction she verbalized her thought. "You sound jealous."

He crossed his arms and took a step back. "I'm just looking out for you. That guy is trouble."

"I'm a big girl, Clark." She shrugged the subject off and returned her focus to the ringing of her phone. She just couldn't resist the temptation to introduce the two Oliver's.

"Hello," he said, finally picking up.

"Hey Oliver. It's Lois. Can you come back to the hotel for a few minutes? "

"What? Lois? Why? Is something wrong?"

"No. Everything is fine. I just have a situation here that could use your…influence."

"Lois it's getting late. Is this something that I can handle tomorrow?"

"Trust me Ollie. You're going to want to meet someone." She bit her lip as the line fell silent and he considered her request. Clark tapped his foot as he waited for his crazy friend to get off the phone. He wondered what Lois was getting them into now.

"Okay, but I can't stay long."

She chuckled. "Great. We're in Shea's pub. See you in a few." She hung up and turned back to Clark, grabbing his wrist and leading him back into the pub. "Come on Smallville. Just follow my lead."

His forehead scrunched in his classic look of disapproval. "Lois. What am I 'going along with'?"

She sighed at his resistance. "Just relax. Watch and see." She looked over her shoulder and gave him a great smile that sparkled in her eyes. He sighed as his irritation with her melted away. He found it slightly unsettling that she was able to manipulate him with only a smile.

She pointed to the stool next to her as she sat and once again looked absorbed by the phony Oliver.

"Now where were we before we were so rudely interrupted," she asked, seemingly lost in the stranger's eyes never sparing a glance for Clark. He didn't like how this guy was looking at her one bit. His eyes held a mixture of lust and anticipation.

Clark reached down and pulled her stool closer to him, wrapping a lazy arm on its back. _I'm only doing this to protect Lois from the sleazy creep eyeing her like a starving man_, he told himself. Her shoulders stiffened and he could sense the disapproval oozing out of her even before her head turned to pin him with a glare.

"What are you doing," she mouthed.

His face was all innocence as he mouthed back, "Following your lead." He tapped his arm, reminding her of her little maneuver earlier. She felt her chair slide even closer to him and her back straightened even further as he leaned into her, molding their bodies together. She had abandoned her earlier intentions of getting rid of the guy by faking a relationship with Clark when she thought of Oliver, and now Clark was trying to ruin the new plan.

"Well stop it," she whispered, scooting away from him oddly flustered by his proximity. She cleared her throat and asked, "I read a few years ago you spent an extended period of time in Metropolis. What was that like?" Her hand gently nudged his shoulder.

"Lois have you been keeping tabs on me." His lips twisted in a greasy smile.

"Well, I guess like many women, there was a time that I saw myself as Oliver Queen's girlfriend. What woman wouldn't want a handsome, adventurous, smart billionaire?" She tapped his hand as she listed off the compliments.

Clark ground his teeth. Lois was shameless and this loser was eating up every bit of it. He was tired of this nonsense. He started to rise, intent on getting rid of this moron before he succumbed to his building desire to clock him in his lying mouth. Lois wasn't helping Clark's darkening mood, mooning over 'Oliver' like he was the second coming.

Oliver arrived and saw Clark looming behind Lois and scowling at a blonde guy who was obviously paying Lois more attention than Clark appreciated. He smiled inwardly and walked over to the tense trio. None of them seemed to have noticed him.  
He cleared his throat. "Lois what did you want me for?"

Three sets of eyes rotated to him. Lois grinned with excitement, Clark still looked like he was chewing rocks, and the stranger stared wide eyed at him.

Lois jumped up and pulled him closer. "You're not going to believe this coincidence. It's pure serendipity. I'd like you to meet someone," she trailed off, looking curiously at the other blonde.

He rose slowly, frantically looking around for an escape. "I-I-I…" he stuttered. He circled the group, resembling a caged animal.

Clark jumped in to clarify the situation, his mood suddenly brightening. "What Lois was trying to say is Oliver Queen meet Oliver Queen."

Oliver looked confused. "M-Mr. Queen I can explain. You see the thing is. Well the thing is that."

Once again Clark was only too happy to step in. Seeing this guy exposed felt better than he knew it should. "The thing is Oliver that our friend here was hitting on your ex girlfriend claiming to be you." He crossed his arms over his chest smugly. Let's see him squirm out of this.

"You're his ex?" His voice squeaked. He tried to glare at her, but he was so agitated that it came across as a grimace. Lois put her hands on her hips and shot him a disapproving stare.

"I would suggest if you're going to impersonate me you do a little research so that you don't try and pick up any more of my girlfriends," Oliver said in mock sincerity. Lois, Clark, and Oliver all wore matching impish grins. Oliver walked over to the bar and retrieved the man's credit card from the bartender. "Mr," he looked down at the card. "Brown. I would ask that you refrain from throwing my name around. I give the papers enough to report; I really don't need any help. Dinner's on me." He handed the guy his card.

Brown scrambled away almost falling over himself in his hurry to get away. Clark looked back at Lois. "You were just messing with him." It was a statement not a question. She just shrugged her shoulders and sat back down.

"Oliver are you up for a nightcap before you go," she asked.

"Ha. After that…you bet. How about you, Clark?" The both turned with questioning eyes.

"I don't want a drink, but Oliver tells me the food here is top notch."

He sat and Oliver asked Lois to tell the night's story from the beginning. She launched into her narrative and the three chuckled together at the man's gumption.

_No this weekend might not be bad at all_, Lois thought, turning to see Clark's bright smile.

~*~

TBC

Reviews and comments are always appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for your great comments. They inspire me to write.

Chapter 2:

Clark had finally been able to convince Lois to leave the pub. One story had led to another and she and Oliver had stretched a night cap into a mid-nightcap. Oliver had finally had enough and called it a night leaving ten minutes before. They were now waiting for the elevator while an inebriated Lois decided to describe to him what he was going to see when they got to the room, a decibel above the normal indoor level. She clung to his arm, her current state causing her to completely disregard the unspoken rules they had long ago established concerning touching and personal space.

"You are not going to believe this place. There is a pool in the room. A pool! And the TV is unbelievable. It would be so much fun to play Guitar Hero on it. And…and." She looked seriously at him for the first time and frowned. "Are you even listening to me? You don't look excited about this," she stated sourly, keeping her slurring to an impressive minimum as her lips formed a little pout.

He chuckled at her. He couldn't ever remember seeing her pout before. Her features softened into a childlike innocence. The only word he could think of to describe her was cute. He'd never thought of her as cute before: fiery, confident bordering on arrogant, brash, sarcastic and…beautiful, but never cute. He grinned down at her causing her to scowl. She grabbed his chin pulling his face down to her eye level, her fingers digging into his stubbled flesh.

"First you ignore me then you morph into a grinning mute. Are you laughing at me? Cause I don't think I like that. I certainly don't see anything funny." Her drunken seriousness only made him want to laugh harder.

"I'm not laughing at you, Lois." He had to suppress another snicker when her frown deepened into a disbelieving scowl. The elevator signaled its arrival with a ding and the doors slid open.

"You better not. I'm a third degree black belt. You don't laugh at third degree black belts if you know what's good for you." As if to prove her point she shoved his shoulder, but he didn't budge and she stumbled into his chest. She pushed off him and narrowed her eyes accusingly at him as if he had somehow set her up. She stalked into the elevator motioning for him to hurry up and follow.

He got on and stood beside her expectantly waiting for her to choose the floor to their room. The doors slid closed and the seconds ticked by, neither making a move. Clark turned to stare at her.

"What," she asked defensively under the weight of his gaze.

"You have the key and know where the room is," he prompted.

"Riiiight." She stepped forward and closely studied the panel teeming with buttons. She knew there was a trick to this, now it was all about remembering what it was. "There's a separate button. We have to find the special button," she informed him resolutely.

"Okaaay," he drawled out, trying to figure out if that was supposed to make sense or if it was mindless drunken babble.

"Ooooo." She slapped her forehead and began digging briskly through her purse, coming out with a card. "Aa hah!" She held it triumphantly over her head. She neared the panel and swiped the card. Nothing happened. She frowned, forehead scrunching in confusion. She turned the card around and shot him a confident lopsided grin, swiping it again. She growled in frustration when once again her efforts were met with failure. "Okay. This elevator is clearly broken," she surmised, throwing up her hands in resignation.

"Here let me try," he sighed in a long suffering manner, feeling his lips rise in a slight upturn. He snatched the card from her waving hand and examined it. He couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. He knew that annoyance was the logical emotion in this situation, but frankly she was cracking him up. "Lois…this is your credit card." A gloating smile spread over his face.

"What? No you have to swipe the card to get to the suit, Smallville," she informed him in exasperation as if he was being thick in the head.

He held it two inches from her nose, the Visa logo reflecting the elevator's light. Her eyes crossed as she looked closely at it.

"Oh. Whatever. The right one is in here somewhere." She resumed rummaging through her purse. It was a small bag but the key card seemed to have found a hidden pocket or recess in which to hide from her. Clark's patience was waning and he was about to take the purse away when her hand emerged with a white plastic card. "I found it. Here trade with me," she said, handing him the key and taking her Visa back.

He moved to the console and ran the card through the sensor. A button illuminated at the top. He raised his brow and pointed to it, silently making sure that it was the right floor.

"We have our own button. A floor all to ourselves. What will we do with it," she wondered aloud, hitting the button, sending the car into motion. The trip to the top didn't take long and they both stepped out of the car.

Clark looked around amazed by what he saw. "Wow," was all he managed to verbalize.

"Told ya, Smallville. You need to learn to trust me." She punched his shoulder as she walked past him and began searching for the TV remote while Clark wondered around, taking in the luxury surrounding him. She found what she was looking for and quickly flipped through the channels, failing to find anything that interested her. With a shrug she left the channel on some VH1 countdown and walked towards the bedrooms.

She strode into the first room and found a king size bed with elegant dark wood furniture and another impressive TV. She saw a door to the balcony hiding behind plush curtains and another door opening into a large bathroom. Inside she was pleased to discover a relaxing looking Jacuzzi tub and a glass doored shower. The shower had several jets for water to spray its occupant from every side. She knew she was going to be trying that out. She made her way through the second room, finding it to be a near twin to its neighbor.

"I'm taking the room on the right," she announced and disappeared to change clothes. She bent over to take her boots off. The first one came away easily, but on the second she wobbled and had to hop on one foot to keep from toppling over. That worked until she tripped on the traitorous first boot, falling in an unceremonious heap on the bed and letting out a yelp of surprise.

Clark heard her shuffle, then came a thump and yelp. He raised his voice, "Are you okay in there?" He almost x-rayed the room, but he didn't know in what state of dress she might be in, so he thought better of the idea.

She answered him a moment later, irritation stewing in her tone. "Yes. Damn boot has it out for me…freaking inanimate objects grabbing your feet and throwing you on the bed."

That made no sense to Clark, but he doubted he would receive a clearer explanation. A few minutes later her door flew open and she emerged in a tight red tank top and a pair of pajama pants. A silence fell over them and Clark stepped in to fill it.

"So, what was up with you and that guy tonight? I mean he was all over you." _Where did that come from Clark?_

"First of all, that was to discourage him from lying and using Ollie's name to hit on girls. Secondly, that's twice now that you've said that. Are you jealous Clark because once again...you sound like it." She moved to stand directly in front of him.

"Pfft. No," he said too quickly with a hint of derision.

Lois narrowed her eyes, cocked her head and stared down her nose at him hawk like. She didn't expect him to fall down and profess some undying love per say, but to sound so emphatic in his objection that he wasn't jealous pricked her ego. Her first instinct was to go on the offensive. "Yeah you're probably right. How could I forget that you only go for the Lana's and Alicia's of the world who practically throw themselves at you?" Her brow rose in challenge.

"Lo-is," he drew out her name. He absently noticed the deliberate exclusion of her cousin's name on her list. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant to say that we're friends."

An idea came to Lois. Pushing his buttons was too tempting to pass up the opportunity. She stalked closer to him, her eyebrow arched in challenge, and he began to retreat backwards, matching each of her steps with one of his own. His invulnerability didn't prevent him from respecting the danger he sensed forming in her eyes as they sparked to life, burning hotly with a fire he couldn't identify.

"I think I understand perfectly what you meant. You're attracted to the nice small town girl who needs you to play the hero to her damsel in distress, and I certainly don't fit that mold." She took another aggressive step in his direction, making him ramble backwards.

_She didn't think he found her attractive_? A certain Valentine's Day had summarily destroyed any notion that he wasn't attracted to the woman backing him through their suit. Red Kryptonite certainly had a way of exposing things he often failed to notice or acknowledge. In the months he spent haunting Metropolis on Red K, he had gotten the attention of plenty of beautiful women. He rarely kissed any of them and had been nowhere near sleeping with a single one. Lois on the other hand had been different. He hadn't hesitated to seek out the nearest wall, desk, or friend's couch to press them against, shedding her clothes along the way.

Clark appeared flustered, and Lois couldn't suppress the slightest smile that could easily have been mistaken for a facial twitch. She mastered her amusement and resumed her challenging stare with lightning quickness.

"You're one of my best friends. I can't help it if I didn't like that sleazy guy." He held up his hands in a calming gesture.

"Right it was all friendly concern…" she let her statement hang in the air between them.

He eyed her warily._ Is she baiting me_, he wondered. He considered how to answer her without springing whatever trap she had just set. "What? Well…y-yes…of course. I care about you, Lois."

"I don't believe you," she stated so resolutely he froze in disbelief.

"You don't? Why not? I know we have the whole friendly banter thing down pat, but why wouldn't you believe that I care about you?" His forehead wrinkled into his signature look of confusion.

A snort slipped past her lips at his willful misunderstanding. "I know you care, Clark. I don't believe that the little scene downstairs was your idea of soft fuzzy friendly feelings." She slipped forward and he resumed the rhythm of their dance, inversely following her lead.

Clark stopped running from her and she noticed his back straighten and he exuded a cocky confidence. "Well I say otherwise. So, you're going to have to prove me wrong," he said, throwing the gauntlet down hoping she would back off.

_What is he doing? He's not supposed to see my challenge with a dare of his own_. She knew she was pushing this further than she had intended, but now that she was engaged in this battle she wouldn't recall the troops until she had secured complete victory. Clark looked exceedingly pleased with himself and she could tell he thought he had stumped her. She nearly growled as she steeled herself to wipe that self satisfaction right out of him.  
She stepped close to him, bringing their bodies within a whisper of touching. He had a feeling that he might learn to regret his last choice. The fire was back in her eyes and the corners of her mouth were turned up forming a soft U.

She shifted her upper body closer to him; her lips hovered dangerously near the pulse throbbing at his neck. "Really? Are you certain that's really what you want? Are you that sure," she asked, daring him to back down and provoking him to hold strong.

Her breath caressed his neck. Goose bumps spread across the corded muscles of his collar, his back straightened even further, and the beat under her lips accelerated audibly in his ears. He became vividly aware of her lingering body the slightest twitch from touching him. It was as he had gained a sixths sense thickening the air between them somehow, and as she moved it pressed into him sending nervous tingles through him. He took a deep breath to calm himself and realized his mistake immediately as he was bombarded by her sweet scent. This was all wrong. He needed to move, to get away from her, but her nearness paralyzed him.

Music flowed out of the TV's surround sound speakers, playing over the duo as they were locked in their contest of wills.

_"My heart is racing as you're moving closer  
You take me higher with every breath I take  
Would it be wrong to stay?"_

Clark looked down at her and found her staring up at him; her hazel eyes peeking out from under shapely brows, waiting for his answer. He had a decision to make, but he wasn't confident in his analytic abilities just then. He made a snap decision, clearing his throat thickly.

"I'm just worried about you. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to one of my best friends." Clark was proud of the strength in his voice. He suppressed a shiver as she chuckled lowly against his neck and shrugged her shoulders.

_"One look at you and I know what you're thinking  
Time's a bitch and my heart is sinking down  
You turn me inside out". _

_Well, I left it in his hands and he chose_, she thought ruefully. Her hands came up to run slowly down his arms, never brushing his skin but leaving the teasing sensation behind all the same. "Ok, Clark. I guess I'll just have to prove my point then."

His eyes were glued to her and his mind screamed that this was dangerous…that he should get as far away as quickly as he could. But there he stood transfixed in the spell she was weaving around them.

Her hands slid up his waist to finally come to rest on his toned chest, making contact with him for the first time. She felt him shiver under her touch, sparking a sense of pride that she could affect him simply with her touch. Her moment of triumph lasted only a few seconds as became aware of the tingling in her hands where they touched him. She felt the exhilaration provided by her competitive nature as it infused her with a shot of adrenaline, but she also noted an unexpected excitement building the longer she stayed near him.

_Get a hold of yourself, Lois! This is about Smallville. Get your head in the game and finish bringing him to his metaphorical knees_. She looked around for a moment taking in her surroundings.

"Good luck with that," he said cockily, stubbornly refusing to break eye contact.

Her prurient smirk made Clark take an apprehensive step back. "Smallville," she drew his nickname out. "Let me assure you, I won't be needing luck," her voice held a husky quality that surprised them both. Lois traced Clark's large muscles up his chest and along the ridge of his shoulders. She stepped into him, finally bringing their bodies together. Clark felt like she was setting his senses on fire – her warm body driving him to distraction – but he refused to back down if for no other reason than Lois would never let him live it down. Her lips brushed his necked causing their nerves to surge, crackling electricity shooting through their spines.

Clark moved his neck away from her in self preservation as he sucked an audible breath through his teeth. "Lois," he admonished. "What are you doing," his voice cracked slightly.

She pulled back meeting his blue eyes and stroking her hands across his shoulders to rest on his chest again. "I thought we had already established that I was proving a point," she replied mischievously. "Smallville is there anything you would like to admit to me?" Her head cocked to the side.

His eyes hardened annoyed at her blatant teasing. "No Lois. I have no idea what you're talking about," he insisted obstinately, his brows forming a serious V.

She nodded as she considered how to proceed. _I guess I'll have to mess with his head a bit_. "Okay. Then I have a request," she smiled up at him angelically.

She was up to something…he was sure of it. "What," he asked warily.

She held his eyes. "Take off your clothes," she said, her facial features not betraying anything to him.

"What!?" he screeched. His eyes almost popping out of his face comically. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to form words, but his throat was dry and his mind stalled in shock. He finally got some control over his vocal cords and hurriedly asked, "How drunk are you. Why would I do that?" He was looking at her as if she might be carrying some lethal contagious disease.

"I just think that you need to cool down," she deadpanned, tapping her right index finger in beat with his heart as it raced under her palm.

"No! My clothes definitely stay on. You're crazy, Lois. What has gotten into you?" He searched around desperately looking for an excuse to get out of this potentially traumatizing situation.

She let out a tortured sigh. "That is certainly your decision, but just remember that I asked nicely," she stated with a long suffering expression. She patted his chest a moment before pushing hard. He let out a bark of surprise as he toppled backwards and felt the wet embrace of water all around him.

Their earlier dance had let them to the edge of the pool and even his super speed couldn't prevent him from plunging into its depths. He came spluttering to the surface indignantly to find Lois laughing victoriously at his predicament. His wet jeans and shoes tried to drag him under the surface again.

"You're hilarious, Lois" he grumped dryly. "With my shoes on, really? I only brought two pairs and the idea of wearing my dress shoes all weekend doesn't appeal to me in the least." He glared up at her as he kicked hard to tread water, assisting with his arms - they took large horizontal strokes to help keep him aloft.

Her laughter only increased at the image of him in jeans, plaid, and shiny black Oxford style dress shoes. "To be fair, I did ask you very sweetly to take them off before I pushed you in," she choked out amidst her laughter.

"No, you asked me to take off my clothes!"

"Yes and to do so you would have had to take off your shoes…come on Clark, think these things through," she teased, tapping her forehead. She walked around the pool and he spun in the water to always keep at least one eye on her, not sure what she might do next. "What did you think I meant Clark," she asked looking as innocent as a newborn baby.

"You w-were…back there…my neck…no clothes…arg," he motioned his arms attempting to mime their earlier embrace and huffed as she twisted everything to serve her means. His eyes bounced desperately around the room in frustration, looking for someone or something to come to his aid.

"Why, Clark, you didn't think that I had any attention to-to," she pointed between them looking genuinely askance. He starred down at the bottom of the pool and grumbled under his breath about unhinged women who turn his world inside out. "That's just crazy, Smallville. I can't believe you would think such a thing! We're just friends. You know that. You were telling me all about it earlier," she pointed out smugly in a condescending tone, finally revealing her amusement and a sense of vindication.

With a growl he rolled his eyes and started to make his way to the shallow end of the pool. "Well in that case Lois, you had better 'take your clothes off' because when I get out of this pool you're going in."

She moved away from him with a giggle. "Okay. If that's what you want, Smallville," she chimed in a sickeningly sweet tone. She reached for the hem of her tank top slowly dragging it over her smooth torso.

Clark froze in the water. _She's really going to do it_. He felt a wave of panic take over. "No no no no no. What are you doing?" He picked up his pace to escape his watery restraints. The shirt came over her head, slipping over her hair and carelessly tossed to her side. Her lacy red bra made swallowing a labor for him. "You don't have to do that," he said with a hint of desperation as his eyes began to heat up.

"No, unlike you, Smallville, I know how to heed instruction," she bit her lip to suppress another wide smile as he looked at her, his expression transforming from shock to something more carnal. A hitch developed in her breathing as he gazed at her like that – blue eyes beginning to smolder under his wet black mop of hair and shirt clinging tantalizingly to his defined chest – but she refused to back down…she had promised herself that he would be on his knees. Her thumbs hooked under the elastic of her pajamas and began slipping them over her shapely hips.

He made it to the edge of the pool and leveraged himself out of the water, making a lunge for her, but she easily evaded his grasp, kicking her pants away in the process. Her long tan legs distracted him as he stalked towards her. She moved around the pool, keeping as much space between them as possible. He strode towards her, becoming annoyed with the wet squish his shoes made with each step.

He paused and couldn't stop his eyes from taking her in, starting at her feet and slowly running up to her lacy red boy shorts. "You're in your underwear," he stated thickly. He wanted to hit himself when a wide knowing grin split her lips. _Great job Clark! You sound like an idiot stating the very very obvious_. He sighed and distracted himself by taking off his bothersome shoes and socks.

"What's the matter, Smallville? You've seen me in less." She watched a blush creep up his neck and make its way to his cheeks. He ran a nervous hand through his soaked hair. Lois easily read his thoughts and once again couldn't resist pressing her advantage. "You're cheeks are redder than my bra. Why in the worl-," she paused and sniggered at him. "What were you thinking about, Smallville, because I meant my bikini. You weren't thinking about – about…well you know!" She once again looked at him, feigning righteous shock. As his blush deepened even further she continued, "That's twice tonight that that mind of yours has traveled into the deep end of the gutter. Now, now, Clarkie, what would your mother say," she teased.

He wondered when the night had slipped so completely out of his control. She was running circles around him and he thought it was about time to get his grip on the reigns responsible for directing the evening's events. He noticed her staring at his wet t-shirt in a less than wholesome manner. _Maybe Lois Lane isn't as invincible as she tries to appear. Two can play this game_. His left eyebrow cocked upwards and he began inching the shirt over his head, flexing his muscles along the way.

"I was just thinking that you had the right idea," he informed her, his voice muffled behind his shirt. It fell to the floor in a sodden heap. He caught her hazel orbs as he began unbuttoning his jeans. He watched her eyes follow his hands with interest as he freed himself from the denim. "Yeah, you were definitely onto something. This is much better."

She cleared her throat appreciating the dripping Adonis flexing his arms as he adjusted his boxers in front of her. "I know. That's what I was saying earlier," she claimed confidently while following a solitary water drop that dripped off one of his locks, landing on his chest it trailed across his cut body, and disappeared into the waist of his boxers.

Clark noticed her distraction and took several quick steps in her direction. She realized his intentions and skipped away from him. He picked up his pace determined to share the experience of being tossed in the pool with her. She moved even quicker, practically running.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to run by the pool," he chastised good naturedly.

"What can I say…I'm a rebel! Watch out, next thing you know I'll have you doing laps less than twenty minutes after you eat and diving in the shallow end."

He chuckled at her quip and quickly reversed directions so that they were now moving towards each other. She squeaked at the seemingly superhuman speed, with which he had performed the maneuver and tried to stop quickly, but slipped and almost fell. He took advantage of her misstep and put on an extra burst of speed, scooping her up quickly into his arms.

"Whoa, Smallville. What the hell," she nearly screamed as she found herself pressed against his tight chest, strong arms holding her securely.

"You should probably plug your nose," he mocked and tried to toss her into the water, but her arms snaked around his neck and held onto him with a vice like grip, thwarting his efforts.

"Do your worst," Lois growled in defiance. She pressed closer securing her grip even more firmly. The gesture brought them incredibly close; her face nestled in the crook of his neck. She breathed him in, closing her eyes at the unexpected heat it created at her center. He smelled like chlorine, aftershave, and fresh country air. It was a familiar scent she had grown accustomed to during the period she had commandeered his bed what seemed like ages ago – excluding the chlorine, of course.

He was becoming frustrated with his attempts because the feel of her soft supple practically naked body pressed against him was having affects that he hadn't bargained for. Her breasts were crushed into his chest, driving him insane. He had to do something, quickly. He took several steps back before taking off at a run and jumping into the pool, letting the deep end swallow them. She finally pushed away from him and he let out the breath he had been holding, bubbles raced to the surface.

Lois glared at him under the water and then gave a powerful kick surging towards the air above. They met at the surface and Lois growled, "Cute Clark," but he could tell she wasn't actually displeased. Her eyes were sparkling with mirth.

"You've been taunting me all night. Haven't you ever heard that you should let a sleeping dog lie."

"Ha, did you just refer to yourself as a dog? I'd say your bark is worse than your bite, Skippy." She splashed him with water and began to swim away.

"Is that a fact," he asked.

"Mmhh," she replied, continuing to swim away from him.

"I'll show you my bite," he mumbled and easily overtook her, spinning her to face him and pressing her against the tiled wall. "What were you saying, Lois," he challenged in a deep rumble. He pressed his body against her, trapping her with an arm on either side of her abdomen. His face hovered over hers. She had been pushing him all night and he discovered that it had flustered and emboldened him. It was like he was under a enchantment and couldn't look away from her succulent lips.

Lois' heart was pounding so loudly she was worried he would hear it. _Where has this assertive side of him come from_? She could feel the heat radiating off his towering muscular frame and being in his arms was unearthing thoughts and sensations she had never allowed herself to have about him. His eyes were glued to her lips and without thinking she ran her tongue over them tantalizingly.

She heard him take a deep breath and met his cerulean stare. "What are you doing?" She hated how pathetic her question sounded. She placed her hands on his chest, fully intending to push him away. Instead, her nails dug into his pecks as he drew closer.

"You wanted a demonstration of my bite," his deep bass tone tickled her lips as his eyes abandoned hers to focus once again on her enticing mouth. His hands abandoned the pool wall and found her hips, tugging her closer.

Her mind screamed that this was all wrong, but her body waited pliantly for his lips to capture hers, resigned to give in to the sensuous force pulling them together. His lips brushed hers, soft and tender. He was about to make a second pass over her delicious lips when a pool pump switched on sucking water loudly, causing both Lois and Clark to jump. They scrambled away from each other, making every effort to avoid eye contact.

"I don't think that was a bite, Clark," Lois rambled nervously. She pulled herself out of the pool moments later in full retreat, grabbing her clothes and making a bee line for her room. Without looking back at him she said, "I'm totally beat. I'll see you tomorrow." She waved over her shoulder not daring to meet his eyes and dripped her way to her room.

Clark watched her soaking wet curvy figure practically run away from him. He was completely conflicted. On one hand, he had flustered Lois Lane and that was worth almost any consequences. On the other, he had really wanted to kiss her – and she was going to let him – and both of those factors more than confused him.

Lois closed the door behind her and immediately leaned against it, sinking to the floor in a crouch. _What the hell just happened_? Her body still hummed with unfulfilled fantasies. How had she let things with Clark get out of hand? She had played him like a fine instrument and then suddenly everything shifted and her composure was destroyed.

She got up, heading to the delicious shower she had noticed earlier. She decided to wash this day off and start new tomorrow. _Tomorrow. What will it hold_, she wondered.

TBC

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A/N: I'm not sure if it's just because I had to rewrite a chunk of this, but after all the effort I put into it I really hope you guys enjoyed.

You know I want to hear what ya'll think .

The song I quoted was The Veronicas "Take Me on the Floor".


	3. Chapter 3

This is the longest it's ever taken me to update…but the holidays distracted me. I didn't originally intend to add the first section, but I have plans for it. Speaking of the first section…I promised/threatened (depending on your opinion) to up the rating at the beginning of the fic. If you don't read more 'explicit' material, I would suggest you skip it (I will do my best to catch you up either through hints in the story or A/N.) The paragraph break is obvious, so scroll till you see it ;D.

Thank you to all who left comments! This hasn't been thoroughly proofed because I have terrors in the form of a 3 and 4 year old attacking me.

~*~

Chapter 3:

Large hands snaked around her waist pulling her back into a solid chest. She sighed as he moved the wavy auburn hair off her neck, replacing it with his lips as he nuzzled the column of exposed skin. The desire he had been steadily stoking all night flared even hotter in her stomach. She leaned further into him, intoxicated by the feel of his hard body rubbing sensually into her as he shifted to bring their bodies even closer.

She was almost overwhelmed by the intense feelings of love dominating her every thought. The way he kissed her was incomparable to anything she had ever experienced with any other man. There was no one who came close to rivaling him. It seemed as though he had been specifically designed with the sole purpose of driving her wild and evoking passionate desires to race through her. She suspected he could somehow read her mind, psychically divining just where she wanted his lips and finding spots even she didn't know about. He was currently exploring one of those zones - where her neck met her shoulder - and his deep voice hummed as if enjoying a particularly mouth-watering dish.

His hands slid up her thighs and slipped under the hem of her tantalizingly short skirt. Some may call it slutty, but she didn't care because the desire it sparked in his eyes blinded her from everything outside of pleasing him. Her eyes slid shut as his hands traced the band of her thong and a low moan filled the air around them; his or hers neither knew.

Her hazel eyes lazily opened and she grazed her nails along his heavily muscled forearms. She craned her neck and captured his mouth, tongue gently darting to indulge in the treasure of his flawless mouth. His hands stroked back down her thighs and up again before stopping just above the waistband of her skirt to draw soft patterns on the exposed skin around her bellybutton. She let out a sharp gasp of surprise as his teeth grazed across her tongue and the hands at her waist pulled her hips into his own, grinding her slowly against his obvious arousal. He mewled against her lips in pleasure and the sound caused her breath to hitch. One of his hands slid down her hips and began kneading her pulsing sex through her jean skirt, while the other roamed higher to cup her breast. His divine digits ripped a moan from her chest and she arched into them seeking more heavenly contact. Unexpectedly, his lips broke away from hers, leaving both gasping shakily for much needed oxygen.

He leaned his forehead on her shoulder and withdrew his hands to a safer locale over her stomach. "We should stop. We only came to change clothes. I would hate to miss the party," he panted in a husky voice, sounding unconvinced by his own words. In direct violation of his last comment, both his hands slipped under her shirt, reverently caressing the silky smooth skin covering her toned abs – sending electric currents straight to the valley between her thighs.

A thick fog muddled her ability to think under his hands and magical lips. She mumbled between the hot kisses she re-engaged him in, "Mmhh. Yeah. Sure. Whatever you think we should do." Of course, she didn't mean a single word of her agreement. Instead of stopping, she turned to face him. Her hands ran up his chest, under his coat, and around his neck, pulling his head down into a crushing barrage of her lips, teeth, and tongue.

He matched her passion with a fire of his own. She took his lower lip between her teeth and nibbled and sucked until she felt him groan. She smiled into his mouth, drunk on the knowledge that she was the cause of his feral reaction. He backed her into her closet door and pulled her roughly against him, keeping their fervid bodies pressed tightly together and trailing wet kisses across her jaw and down her neck-concentrating on her racing pulse. She gasped out his name and pulled his head down harder into her expectant neck. His hands occupied themselves by caressing the small of her back, causing the hair on her arms to stand to excited attention as goose bumps spread over her flesh.

"God Clark…don't stop. A-ah." Her hips undulated into his as she desperately sought the sweet friction that would exercise the throbbing desire amassing at her core.

His lips and hands stilled and he breathed heavily into her neck. Her eyes lazily slid open in disappointment and confusion.

"I'm pretty sure I mentioned something about not stopping. What's wrong," she asked with a breathy chortle, moving to kiss behind his ear.

"Mmm. We have to stop for now. There's a party to crash." He pulled back and she met his blue gaze, hoping she had misheard him. He smiled down at her with an incredibly cocky grin he had been utilizing all night. She groaned as her body reacted to how sexy she found the gesture. She squeezed her thighs tightly together suppressing her inflamed core as she realized he was in fact serious. Her hands un-fisted his black leather jacket and she indulged herself by running two fingers over his swollen red lips. She could have sworn she saw a red sheen flash across his eyes.

"Are you sure about that? We seem to be having a nice little party for two right here," she purred.

He dropped his hands from her waist and took a large step back. "We have all night, baby. Unfortunately, there's a timetable for Lana's party. Let's go liven up the scene," he said bitterly with a visceral smirk and began to move away from her.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Knock, knock, knock.

Lois was jerked out of sleep and her dreams by a sharp rapping. Her heart was racing - only partially from the shock of being awoken by the loud beating on her door. She fought to stay asleep, but awareness slowly won the battle and Lois groaned, rolling onto her stomach and burying her head under several pillows in an attempt to escape the horrible pounding noise; her body moving on autopilot to stifle the offending racket.

Knock, knock, knock.

There it was again. "Go away," her voice cracked with sleep and she mentally cursed whoever had the nerve to disturb her peaceful sleep. _What the hell was up with that dream_, she wondered? _Since when do I dream about Smallville? Apparently my subconscious has a different view of him...cocky and confident as he...well I don't know if I want to think about what he was doing. And why would I dream about anything involving Lana? _

Slowly she became aware that she was not in her own bed and her mind searched for an explanation as she tamped down the sudden panic she felt in her unfamiliar surroundings. A moment later her sleep muddled mind provided her with details of where she was and who she was with, and her concern dissipated. She chuckled internally as she recalled pushing an indignant Clark into the pool. Then came the memory of his lips grazing hers…it was only a brush but it was stubbornly stuck in her mind. There was something so familiar about the way it felt...something that no matter how hard she reached to explain it, just as she was about to grasp understanding it slipped away from her and hid away in the back of her mind. She figured if that pool pump hadn't come on and he had kissed her again, then she would have been able to put her finger on what it was about his kiss that taunted her memory. The question that kept repeating itself was, 'was last night's little episode really enough to cause her unconscious mind to fantasize about them'? It had been confusing and disconcerting because she had definitely felt 'something', but surely not enough to induce such a vivid dream.

Knock, knock, knock.

"What," she nearly yelled out surly. "What could possibly be so important at…" she unburied her head from its tomb of pillows and stared at the bedside table. "Ten o'clock in the morning." She had to admit that it wasn't terribly early, but she had been up late and was dealing with a combination of a mild case of jetlag, the time change, and last night's alcohol consumption.

The room's door opened a crack to reveal a set of hesitant blue eyes belonging to her suite mate. If she wasn't mistaken, he looked nervous.

"What is it, Smallville? This better be good. I was sound asleep." She rolled onto her back and propped herself against the mountain of pillows at the head of the bed, feeling a muted ache at the sight of Clark – being vividly reminded of her naughty dream. She stretched and waved him into the room before rubbing the sleep and images from her eyes with the heels of her palms. If this day didn't have the potential to be awkward enough, her mind had to take a swim in the deep end of the gutter during her sleep and make it worse. She decided to disregard the potential elephant in the room and completely ignore what had happened between them. _It really wasn't anything_, she assured herself.

Clark hesitated to enter her room. After last night he wasn't sure how to act. Should he bring up the pool? Was there really anything to talk about? She had been drunk and as usual pushed him to retaliate. Although, he supposed he hadn't needed to retaliate the way he had chosen to. What if she didn't even remember what had happened and he brought it up, creating tension and awkwardness that he could easily avoid by remaining silent? Apparently it was too much to ask for the confusion he had battled last night to magically disappear while he slept.

His eyes ran over her. One bronze leg had escaped the covers and was on display. _What is she wearing under there to show off so much leg_, he wondered and mentally smacked himself for it. He didn't need to be thinking about his friend like that, especially after last night's step over the 'line' they had so meticulously drawn in the sand. Okay, all in all, it was probably more than a step, but the point was that he definitely shouldn't be thinking about her in those terms. In direct defiance of the logical point he had just laid out for himself, his eyes continued to follow her leg into the blankets and up her body. Her thin form lounged against a pile of thick pillows and after stretching, her arms had settled to serve as a cushion between her head and the dark mahogany headboard. Her hair was mussed from sleeping and once again his thoughts wondered into dangerous waters as he appreciated how amazing she looked in the morning. The way she was laying reminded him of an exotic Sheba reclining on a rich palanquin.

The only thing spoiling the mythical spectacle he had unintentionally drawn was her annoyed glare, brows drawn together and lips pursed in a tight line. He swallowed thickly and sent a silent prayer to anyone who may be listening that last night had not opened a Pandora's Box that he couldn't close.

She sighed in exasperation as he remained rooted in her doorway, staring at her with a faraway look. "Are you going to tell me why you woke me up with all that racket or just continue standing there like an aphasiac?" She rubbed her temple in annoyance. "You know I'm anything but a morning person, Clark, and you're wearing my patience very thin" she stated grumpily.

"As if it was ever very thick," he mumbled and could tell she had heard him when her eyes narrowed into slits. He cleared his throat and smiled at her. "Yeah. I'm sorry about the knocking. I would have come in and woken you up more gently but...well, I didn't think you would appreciate me just letting myself into your room. I did, however, come with a peace offering." He pushed his way through the door and brought a steaming mug from behind his back. The smell of coffee drifted to her nose and she immediately perked up. "Unless you don't want it," he teased and moved the java out of her reach.

"It's the least you can do for waking me up," she deadpanned. Her eyes never leaving the cup - body now fully awake to its need for caffeine - as she reached up to take it from him. He relented with a smile and handed her the cup. She breathed the wonderful aroma in deeply and moaned appreciatively as she took her first sip. "Mmmmm."

"Am I forgiven," he asked sarcastically.

"We'll see. It depends on what you have to tell me. Spill it, Smallville," she shot back. He shifted on his feet and Lois motioned with her chin for him to sit. He paused a moment before lowering himself onto the foot of her bed.

"The hotel sent up a message from Oliver this morning. He is sending a car to pick us up at eleven. I wanted to let you sleep, but knowing your showering habits," she rolled her eyes as he continued, "I thought you would need at least an hour to get ready." He smirked down at her remembering the numerous cold showers he had been forced to take after she used all the hot water.

"Where is the car taking us," she asked, ignoring his barb.

"I don't know. All the note said was that it was somewhere you had mentioned wanting to go several times, to dress casually, and wear comfortable shoes."

Lois' forehead scrunched in thought. Where had she mentioned wanting to visit in Star City? She was drawing a complete blank. She needed a few more cups of coffee before her mind would be firing on all cylinders. Whatever Oliver had planned she was sure it would be nice.

"Is there any breakfast where that coffee came from," she asked peeking around Clark.

He chuckled. "I should have known you would care more about eating than Oliver's cryptic note, but no. He said the car would be taking us out to eat. A late breakfast...or brunch, I guess. A bright smile graced her features. "What is it? Do you know where we're going," he inquired, curious why she was suddenly so happy.

She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. "No, but brunch means one thing."

"What..."

She giggled, "Mimosas."

He rolled his eyes. "Is that really all you can think about? Especially after last night?" He wondered if she had some Kryptonian genes in her somewhere, enabling her to completely ignore several of the effects of alcohol.

"I'm on vacation. You know, the time when you're supposed to let loose and relax. No? I guess you wouldn't know much about that," she teased with a wink. Lois jumped out of bed and rummaged through her suitcase, picking out an assortment of clothing.

"I am fully capable of relaxing. I just don't have to drink alcohol to do it," he told her smugly.

"Mimosas barely make it into that category. I mean seriously, anything that it is socially acceptable to drink before noon can't be that bad. But don't worry, Smallville. I'll be sure to order you a Shirley Temple." She gave him a smile that could light up the room and returned her attention to her bag. He just grunted and shook his head in annoyance.

His eyes followed her - the earlier question concerning her attire being answered. He didn't know whether it was good or not that his curiosity had been appeased. She was lost in thought staring at the garments in her hands, wearing only a well worn oversized t-shirt that barely made it to her mid thigh. She dropped a shirt and with a sigh bent over to pick it up.

Clark's throat tightened as the shirt rode dangerously high, exposing and accentuating her sinuous curves. He forced himself to look away. _What am I thinking? I can't check out Lois._ The sight before his eyes had picked him up and plopped him right back into the dangerous waters his sensible rational side had been so determined to avoid. He couldn't believe he even had to have this conversation with himself. There were just some places that he and Lois didn't go - this being number one on the list. She straightened and seemed to remember that she was not alone in the room.

She looked at him and noted the guilty expression he was sporting as he stared at the floor. "Clark, I'm about to take that marathon shower you mentioned earlier, and I don't think the boy scout in you could handle the show." She grinned as he blushed and motioned with her head towards the door.

He got up, moving quickly towards the door to comply with her unspoken request and both reached to open it. Lois got to the knob first but Clark was right behind her - his much larger hand covering hers completely. An unexpected shock of excitement shot through her and her eyes jumped to connect with his. Lois watched in startled awe as his blue eyes darkened, eerily reminiscent of how they had looked in her dream. Her mind immediately dove into the gutter - where thoughts of Clark's large hands roaming over her body lived. _Damn swimming pools...damn soaking wet muscle bound Clark...damn dreams...damn pool pumps!_ Where had that last thought come from? She couldn't possibly want Clark to kiss her. That was just crazy.

All this simply stemmed from the fact that she was not blind – Clark was an attractive guy (deep down she acknowledged what an understatement that was) – and she was only human after all. _Yea that's it. This is all Clark's fault…him and his tight muscles, blue eyes, charming smile, and lips that could kiss me for days_._ Come on Lane, get a hold of your hormones_, she chided herself_._ She never let herself look at Clark in these terms for good reasons.

As she desperately fought to explain away the sudden thoughts about Clark, the man himself never broke eye contact with her as he waged an internal battle of his own. He shook himself and decided that it would be easier to clear his head away from her.

He pulled his hand back, stuffing it in his pocket and successfully broke the extended moment. "I'm just going to go then. Remember, the car will be here at eleven."

She only nodded, opening the door. He slipped out and she quickly closed it behind him, letting out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. _Here goes the second confused shower in as many days. This is becoming a disturbing pattern_, she thought, trying to shake off the weirdness that had managed to surround this time away with Clark.

Idly, she distracted herself by trying to figure out what Oliver was up to and where they were going.

~*~

TBC

I hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

First of all...thank you to everyone who left comments. They are much appreciated.

This bugger is finally done. *thanks snow day* Sorry for the wait…I hope this makes up for it…

Chapter 4:

Lois stared out the sunroof in Oliver's limo engrossed in the cloudless blue sky above Star City. A chill ran down her spine and she adjusted the air conditioning vent to blow away from her absent mindedly. The seventy degree weather was fairly disconcerting to someone used to the often harsh winters of Metropolis. Her eyes dropped to Clark who was sitting beside her, similarly occupied staring out the car window; his gaze locked on a white double mast cruiser approaching the suspension bridge their car was crossing.

She noted that he was wearing the shoes she had soaked him in the night before. Her forehead scrunched in thought as she wondered how they had gotten dry so quickly. She shook her head and snorted quietly through her nose as she took in his jeans and simple blue t-shirt. He wasn't anything if not consistent she decided with amusement.

"Clark did you buy every single blue t-shirt in Kansas," she teased.

He blinked several times as if coming out of a daze and looked down at his shirt. "What? This is a nice shirt," he replied defensively and ran his large hands down the cotton material as if to demonstrate its quality.

"That must be why you wear it all the time." Lois chuckled, nudged him with her shoulder, and smiled at him – her playful manner soothing away any offence he might have taken from her jab.

"I don't know why you're complaining. You see me in collared shirts and dress pants ten hours a day. I would think you would appreciate the change. Besides, Oliver said to wear comfortable shoes and that suggests casual to me." He crossed his arms over his chest and, cocking his head to the side, he leaned against the car door, watching her reaction with a sideways glance.

"Oh, Smallville, you have years of good fashion choices ahead of you yet to make up for all the plaid and primary colors that plagued your youth." He rolled his eyes and shook his head slowly in exasperation before returning to his scrutiny of the bay. Silence stretched between them causing Lois to shift in discomfort. "How did your shoes dry so fast," she finally blurted out when the moment grew too oppressive for her. She released a heavy sigh and fell back against the leather seat behind her.

Clark's head snapped around to face her, eyes darting nervously around the car. "I...um." He thought furiously, angry with himself that he hadn't planned ahead and come up with a plausible cover story. "T-there is...is a cleaning service offered at the hotel for anyone staying in a suite," he improvised, trying to assure her with an energetic nod – that sounded believable...right?

"Huh," she grunted - not completely buying his stuttered explanation.

He saw suspicion still lurking in her hazel eyes, but he couldn't very well tell her, "Well Lois...I can shoot fire from my eyes, which happens to come in handy when irritating friends push me into bodies of water fully clothed." So, he chose to go on the offensive to throw her off balance and hopefully distract her. "Yeah. After you shoved me in the pool and then ran off to bed, I called the front desk and they sent someone up to get my clothes and shoes."

Their thoughts simultaneously ran over the prior evening's events and Lois' chin fell to rest on her chest at the memory of a ghost of a kiss. The tension they had managed to push aside while they ate brunch at the seaside restaurant that morning instantly flared up between them.

A quiet, "Oh," was all Lois managed, turning away from Clark.

Clark mentally smacked himself and wondered how he could ease the discomfort haunting them. He thought that maybe if he could distract her, get her talking, or even fighting, then the palpable strain between them would ease.

"It's too bad Oliver had an unexpected meeting this morning and couldn't join us for breakfast because that was a really amazing buffet." He shifted in his seat to face her again, taking in her unfocused gaze straight ahead.

"Mmm. Yeah, I guess."

"You guess!" Clark exclaimed with a snort. "You went back through it so many times I saw the manager over in the corner cringing and beginning to visibly sweat. I think he was wondering what kind of an anomaly he had let through the door." A smirk arrested his features as her eyes darted to meet his, sporting a hot glare.

"Ha ha hilarious, Smallville. You're a regular Chris Rock." Her eyes held their position, but her body visibly relaxed - shoulders dropping and fingers unclenching - as he guided them into the familiar comfort their banter provided. "How do you know he wasn't watching you? The waitress was so enamored by you that I'm fairly certain she ignored every other table in the place." Clark gave an indignant huff and Lois thought she caught him mumble something about the waitress just being nice. She continued, "Besides that, every time I got a plate you ended up eating half of my food! Ever heard of getting your own. I swear, Smallville, take the boy off the farm and he loses all his small town manners. What would Mrs. K say," she wondered idly, tapping her right index finger on her bottom lip, arching her left brow, and thoughtfully examining the roof of the limo as if it held the world's answers.

"But everything you got looked so good, and my mom would probably say that a growing boy needs his sustenance," he replied, a happy glint in his eyes because he had successfully distracted her.

"Well, he should use his own legs to obtain it," she shot back. "And...growing boy? How much more do you plan on growing, Clark? You already look like you belong on a can of green beans. I swear get yourself a pair of green tights and the leafy - what does the green giant wear...a dress, a tunic? Anyway, whatever you want to call it, put on the whole ensemble and..." She clicked her tongue while flashing him the sign for 'perfect' - thumb and pointer forming an O.

"What's the matter, Lois? Afraid I'll grow too big for you to take," he chuckled and leaned towards Lois, playfully flaunting how tall he really was, forcing her to crane her neck to hold his eyes.

She met his gaze looking completely unimpressed before breaking into hysterical laughter – her hand slapping her thigh several times. After what seemed like five minutes to the befuddled Clark, she tried to gain her composure and clutched her stomach taking deep calming breaths. She was finally making progress and was able to raise her eyes to meet his again, but the completely mystified expression he was directing towards her sent another heavy wave of laughter crashing over her. The unintended innuendo coming out of Clark's crystal clean mouth was funny enough – after all he was ever the gentleman boy scout – but his complete obliviousness was the cherry on top.

"N-nev…er…" She choked down her laughter and wiped a solitary tear that threatened to fall from her right eye. "Gmh…sorry." She cleared her throat and feigned deep sincerity, noting his tightly wrinkled forehead. After all the oddness the weekend had presented this laugh was good for her soul. After all, laughter was the best medicine. "Never crossed my mind, Clark," she was finally able to say. Her lips trembled as her features fought to remain straight.

"You mind clueing me in on the big joke," he huffed, obviously not pleased that Lois was thoroughly enjoying a laugh that he could only assume was at his expense.

"Just you being you," she said – a soft tender smile gracing her mouth and he finally bought that she was being serious. If possible he looked even more confused, so she reached up and lightly patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Why don't you put that tall frame to good use and ask the chauffeur where we're going and when we're meeting Ollie. It feels like we've been in this car for an eternity," she complained. When he remained rooted like a stone Lois pushed on his shoulder, urging him towards the driver.

"Fine," he eventually agreed, sliding towards the front being careful to not knock his head on the low roof. Another chuckle came unbidden as she watched him maneuver through the confined space. _So, maybe he wasn't the most fit for the job, considering the cramped environment, but it is funny to watch him none the less_. She continued to stare as he engaged the chauffeur in conversation – back muscles corded as he hunched over the partition. Lois found herself staring and had to reprimand her wondering eyes. That t-shirt may be uncomplicated, but it sure did a fine job showing off the muscles playing underneath it.

_Crap…stop it Lois_. She was going to have to put herself in a mental time-out if this kept up. Clark was done with the driver and returning to her side. She averted her gaze and immediately took an interest in the state of her fingernails. Clark settled in his seat having missed her appraisal of him.

"Kyle said that he just got a call from Oliver's secretary and his meeting has run long. He won't be able to join us this afternoon. Apparently, he apologizes and will see us tonight."

"What? Again? That's odd," she stated.

"Oliver is a busy guy. He has a lot of responsibility."

Lois thought about Oliver's love of leather and compact bows, but most of his rooftop crawls occurred at night. He was the CEO of a billion dollar company, that was true, but when he invited people to visit him he generally was able to delegate his work load. More than that, this avoidance seemed too purposeful not to stir Lois' suspicion.

"I don't know Clark. Oliver is usually a more attentive host. Did Kyle at least tell you where we are going because I'm really not a fan of surprises." She was getting nervous. She had been wondering what Ollie's message had meant all morning. She was hoping that he hadn't set them up for something ridiculous.

"All I could get from him was that we would be there in another ten minutes tops," Clark paused, studying Lois as she bit her bottom lip in thought. "Have you been able to come up with any ideas about our mystery destination," Clark asked as if reading her mind.

She sighed in frustration.

"No."

"Don't stress about it. I'm sure we'll have a good time regardless of where we're going." He paused in thought for a moment before continuing. "We'll stick together wherever we end up. Just think about it…if nothing else you can enjoy driving me crazy all day," he said, laying a reassuring hand on her forearm. She met his eyes and couldn't help returning his bright smile.

"That is always a silver lining when you're around and I'm bored," she laughed, putting her small hand over the large one currently engulfing her arm. Lois was surprised how much his simple touch had calmed her. "I'm not stressing…I just don't like not knowing what is going on. Why do you think I became a reporter? So I always know what's happening around me before anyone else," she informed him humorously.

"I thought you would like that," he deadpanned.

"Hey, you've as much as given me permission to be a nuisance. So, I don't want to hear any complaints." His eyes narrowed and he instantly knew he was going to regret his choice of words. She smiled at him angelically and said, "Never fear, _Clarkie_, I'll try to be as gentle as possible." She put her special inflection on his name.

His sigh and roll of the eyes accompanied her use of that particular nickname. He may have gotten used to Smallville…but Clarkie would never sit well with him, and she knew it. _I guess she must be bored and starting before we even get there_, he decided ruefully.

Their eyes were pulled by some unseen force to the connection their hands were sharing, previously forgotten by both. The nerves in Clark's body seemed to come alive. He became enthralled by the heat radiating off her arm against his palm and the soft petite hand resting over his. Lois' eyes remained glued to link between them. She felt the muscles in his thumb jump and the tiny friction sent an exhilarating shock through her. They both realized at the same moment how intimate the moment had become and reacted by jerking their respective hands back quickly as if burned - their eyes bouncing off of the interior of the car as they both tried to figure out what they were just feeling. Lois massaged her arm tentatively, still feeling the traces of his touch, and Clark picked at a stray piece of lint that abruptly held his entire attention.

They chatted nervously – filling the silence – for the next several minutes and before they knew it Kyle was telling them they had finally made it. Clark looked out the window and saw brightly colored metal structures twisting high into the sky. He blinked in confusion. He hadn't known what to expect from Oliver, but this hadn't even made it onto his list of possibilities. He felt his head spin just looking at the towering skeletal system of twists and turns. He was brought out of his anxious perusal out the window by her surprised laughter.

"The place you just had to go was a theme park? Really," Clark asked in a shaky voice, searching her face for answers.

"As weird as it may sound, yes. How could I have forgotten," she asked herself. Her attention shifted back to Clark with a self deprecating smile. "There is a particular ride here that I've been dying to try. I can't believe Oliver remembered this. I mentioned it years ago." She fell silent as she really looked at him. "Clark you look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong? Are you okay?"

He cleared his throat audibly. "Y-yeah. It's just that…it's just that – I'm sort of…sort of." He stopped and thought twice about telling her his aversion to elevated altitudes.

"Sort of what? Spit it out, Smallville," she sighed, quickly losing patience with his rambling attempt at an explanation.

"It's nothing. Forget about it," he evaded.

"Oh no you don't. Do you know me at all? Come on and tell me what's wrong and why you went from Clark to Casper in zero point two seconds." She aggressively crossed her arms and sent him a commanding look.

He took in her pose and an un-beckoned smile formed on his lips. She would never let him slip even a bit. "Fine. Just keep the jokes to a minimum," he requested and then rolled his neck, rubbing it briefly. "What am I thinking, this is you I'm talking to," he said, already sure that that would never happen.

"Of course," she replied insincerely, adding a mischievous grin.

He shook his head knowingly and said, "In that case…I don't ride rollercoaster's because- because I'm kinda afraidofheights," he rushed out.

"What," she asked, straining to understand his rapid words. She leaned towards him. "Want to run that by me one more time."

"I'm afraid of heights," he nearly yelled, pushing himself deeper into the cushioned seat, waiting for the fallout of his admission.

Lois just looked at him blankly with an unreadable expression for a moment before finally speaking. "We're going to have to get you over that today, now aren't we?"

"Should I be scared," Clark asked the air. Lois just laughed and started gathering her things – face glowing with excitement.

~*~

Clark teetered back and forth on his heels, waiting impatiently as Lois studied the map of the park. The warm sunlight splashed across her face illuminating her features and highlighting the streaks of auburn veiled throughout dark hair.

"Come on, Lois! What's taking so long?" He didn't even attempt to mask his irritation. It was bad enough that Lois was insisting that he ride the steele colossuses surrounding him, but all this waiting was allowing him to over think everything and he could feel the knot in his stomach tightening painfully. He rubbed his balmy hands together, exercising some nervous energy.

"Lois seriously, what is taking so long? It's just an amusement park. It's not like you're planning a ground assault here!"

She finally looked away from the map and squinted at him. "Actually, that's not a bad way to describe it. We need a game plan to ensure that we get to every single coaster."

Clark blanched at the prospect. "Lo-is," he practically whined. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Ha, no. I'm trying to get you to face your fear in an exhilarating but safe fashion. Trust me, once you start to let go of that initial terror and relax, you're going to have a complete blast. This is going to be great," she stated confidently with a delighted fire burning in her eyes. "Just stop thinking about it," she ordered, running her hand down his arm to lightly squeeze his hand in a reassuring gesture before turning back.

Clark buried his hands in his pockets and kicked a bottle top that had been discarded by his foot. "Well, the longer you make me stand here and wait the less likely it is that you're going to be able to get me on one of these…these…death traps." Clark gesticulated with his hands towards the nearest ride. Lois' mouth drew into a tight line at his choice of words.

"Okay drama queen. They're not death traps, they're fun, and we're going this way," Lois stated, grabbing his arm and dragging him deeper into the park.

~*~

They had been on what seemed to be endless rides to Clark – several that Lois decided she loved had been ridden multiple times. Lois was right though, once he had let go of his irrational fear and let himself relax, he had begun enjoying the roller coasters – but he had no intention of telling her that. The 'click click click' part as the cars climbed to the peak at the beginning still had him white knuckling his safety straps – he found closing his eyes helped – but once the ride got underway he let go and just enjoyed the rush. It almost felt like he was flying at times – a very liberating experience.

"So, Smallville, ready for a little break," she asked him.

"I guess so. What did you have in mind?"

"These places always have those silly carnival games. Let's go win a ridiculously large stuffed animal. Think you're up to it," she challenged with a smile, picking up her pace while her head swiveled around in a searching gesture.

Clark used his x-ray vision to locate the booths she was searching for. "Is that a challenge Lane? Come one, I think I saw them over here," he informed her, placing his hand on the small of her back and guiding her through the labyrinth of buildings. "What do you say, the first one to win gets treated to lunch," he suggested with a large smile.

"You're on," Lois agreed eagerly, her competitive nature kicking in.

"I still can't believe that this is where you had to come in Star City," Clark informed her.

"Yeah…well, maybe Oliver sent us here as much for you as me."

"How do you figure that," he scoffed.

"This isn't that far off from those small town festivals you seem so keen on attending. There are games, rides, insanely overpriced food. I swear throw in a round of line dancing, a kissing booth, and a corn shucking competition and you would feel like you were right back in Smallvile." At his un-amused glower she flashed a bright smile, thoroughly pleased with herself and went in for the kill. "So, Oliver figures you'll be at ease in the familiar surroundings. You are a long ways from home after all. We would hate to send a poor farm boy into shock by too much change all at once." She bit her lip to keep her grin from growing too wide.

"I seem to remember you and Chloe attending several of Smallville's finest festivals over the years."

"Hmm. Chloe has drug me to a few, but chock it up to familial love on my part," she told him, finally allowing a hint of a smile.

"That must be why Chloe kept complaining to me about you keeping her at the Spring Corn Carnival till the staff had to practically throw you out two years ago. I had to hear about how sore her feat were for a week," he lobbed back, smugly.

Lois' face lost some of its self satisfaction. "Hey! There was an awesome Whitesnake cover band…and I can't believe she told you about that."

"Yes, well, what are best friends for? I believe there was also mention of her almost calling me to 'throw her crazy cousin over my shoulder and carry you home caveman style'. Her words not mine."

"I would have loved to see you try. All you would have succeeded in accomplishing is losing several of your digits." Clark just chuckled and soon Lois joined in good naturedly.

They wound their way through the happily situated park until they heard the raucous call of voices and a hectic mosaic of loud upbeat dinging noises and music blending to create an almost arcade like ambiance. There were bright stands everywhere with prizes hanging off their walls and roof, ranging from small trinkets to adolescent sized stuffed figurines.

Clark held his arms out wide and spun in a slow circle. "So here we are. What's your pleasure?"

Lois looked around thoughtfully, her eyes finally coming to rest on a solitary game. She grinned broadly and turned to Clark – her eyes darting between him and the challenge. He followed the direction of her gaze and smiled ironically. About fifteen feet away was a tall thin structure. The top held a bell and above that was a stenciled drawing of a muscled shirtless man flexing his biceps.

"What do you say, Clark? Can you channel your inner Hercules? Think you can put all those farm chores you've performed over the years to good use to win this little test of strength?"

"I guess we'll see," he answered simply.

They got in line behind several others and watched as two different guys took the sledgehammer offered by the park attendee and hit a percussion pad at the base of the tower, sending a metal ringer towards the elusive bell at its peak. Both got close but failed to win in the end, walking away in disappointment. Clark and Lois stepped up and Clark gave the teenager manning the station his money. The kid handed him the hammer in return. He shifted the tool in his hands, running them up and down the length of the handle to get a feel for its weight and proportions.

He looked over to where Lois was standing with her hands clasped together resting slack elbowed just below her waist. She nodded downwards towards the pad with a little smile. He clenched and unclenched his fingers several times trying to gauge how much strength to apply – not wanting anyone to be suspicious; Lois being at the top of the list. Then he stepped forward and brought the tool down to contact the pad, grunting in show to make his audience believe the gesture required a lot of effort.

The ringer raced upward and came within an inch of striking its target before it fell limply back to the ground. Clark straightened, letting the sledgehammer rest forgotten against his leg. _Well that didn't work out like I planned_, he thought in frustration. Lois walked up behind him and patted his back.

"Oh well, Smallville. You tried. We wouldn't want you to get a big head, now would we," she said a little too patronizing in his opinion. He responded with a tight un-amused smile, feeling very much like he had on red Kryptonite the time she was on a love potion and comparing him to Oliver.

With a quick exhalation of breath he turned back to the attendee. "I think I'll try that again," he told the guy. The kid nodded with a smirk, having seen many a bruised ego try and redeem itself.

"You sure you want to do that, Clark? It's perfectly okay…you can't win every time," she goaded him with a tilt of the head, sucking on her tooth.

With a growl that he didn't have to fake he took another heavy swing. The hammer hit with a loud crack and the ringer shot up with lightning speed, impacting the bell with a resounding thud. Instead of the metal ringer falling as it should, it remained stuck in the now bent bell.

_Oops_ was his solitary thought.

"Yeah oops," Lois exclaimed in incredulity, shading her eyes with a hand as she stared up at his handy work. He hadn't realized he had voiced his thought. "I don't think that is how this game is played. Is that how this is supposed to work," she asked the attendee, looking down at him while asking an obvious question, simply needing to say something – anything – in that moment.

The kid could only shake his head no as he stared in wide eyed awe at Clark.

"Damn, Smallville. Moving all that hay and a steady diet of your mom's cornbread did you good. I think you broke it." Her eyes ran over him, resizing him in her mind. She knew he was strong but damn. That was really the only thing she could think at the moment, and as she looked up again it played silently in her head again, _damn_.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It was an accident," he quickly supplied, mentally berating himself for losing control. Only Lois could get so thoroughly under his skin that his iron clad control slipped – whether that be through sarcasm and banter or the demolition of some unsuspecting bell.

Lois peeled back the fingers that still held the hammer in a tight grip with a now very amused chuckle. "I think you can let go of this now. The damage is literally done," she said – chuckle evolving into full on laugh. Without losing a beat Lois turned and returned the hammer and Clark absently heard her shamelessly demanding their prize, which moments later she had procured. _She sure brushed that off quickly_, he thought thrilled, rubbing away several beads of sweat that had condensed on his forehead.

She walked back to his side and turned him to leave with a gentle nudge, holding up an inflatable baseball bat. "They had some toy swords, but I figured it would be best to keep you away from anything you could do more damage with," she informed him, wagging her brows suggestively.

They walked on and soon Lois' easy manner and teasing jokes had relaxed the worried tension that had knotted his shoulders earlier. He was happy that she didn't seem freaked out and also wasn't interrogating him about the how's of what he had just done.

"You know this means that you have to buy me lunch, right?"

Lois stopped in her tracks. "I believe the ground rules included an oversized stuffed animal. So, no, this just an't gonna cut it." She punctuated her statement by tapping him on the top of the head with the bat.

"Huh," Clark grunted and looked around. "How about this one," he asked, motioning to a stand with his elbow.

"Yeah. Okay." They approached the counter behind which lay a square table about nine feet by nine feet, Clark figured. On top were jars half filled with water which were conveniently spaced to make the game harder. They got the girl's attention that worked the game and both got a set of five small white balls – the object being to sink them in the jars.

"What does it take to win the big one," Lois asked her, pointing to a large white tiger stuffed animal near the back.

"You have to make at least four of the five balls," she informed Lois.

Lois whistled softly. "You're not making this very easy are you?"

The girl shrugged, her face saying 'sorry, I just work here' before walking away to help someone else.

Lois readied herself in determination. She scanned to her right and watched Clark squint in concentration as he made his first throw. The ball bounced off the lip of a jar and fell harmlessly to the table. Lois smiled softly as his jaw clenched tightly. His large hand grasped yet another of the white spheres, dwarfing it with his fingers, and lobbed it more softly this time, but the result was the same, ending with the ball rolling around on the table top. He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. Her eyes followed the motion until his head turned and his blue eyes met hers. She caught herself appreciating just how attractive he was and noticed a trace of curiosity flash in his eyes. She looked away quickly as she realized it was probably because she was staring.

"Why aren't you giving it a try," he asked.

_I was just enjoying the view_, she thought, but said, "I'm formulating a strategy." She followed her words up by taking a ball in her left hand and tossing it softly in a high arch. She was rewarded by the wet sound of it splashing safely in a jar in the center of the table. At his slack jaw stare she flashed him a megawatt smile. "I've done this before."

"I can tell." He watched with an impressed grin as a second ball followed the first to successfully find another jar's watery depths. He managed two more failed attempts of his own before sighing heavily in frustration. He placed his hands palm down on the counter and leaned towards the jars as if he could intimidate them into accepting his last ball.

Lois succeeded once again before sliding closer to him as he raised his arm to throw. "Stop," she ordered and he jerked to meet her eyes, confused. She came closer – her body pressing against his side. One arm wrapped around his back, hand resting on the muscled shoulder she had been watching in the car – for balance. At least that's what she told herself. Her right hand reached out and ran up his arm, readjusting its angle and positioning.

Clark swallowed thickly at her touch and begged his mind to think about anything other than her soft body arching into him. He looked around to distract himself, feeling the sun beating down all around him. Was it just him or was it really hot today?

"Clark are you even listening to me," he heard her ask him, clearly getting annoyed.

"Mmhh," he mumbled thickly as her fingers played with his, changing his grip on the ball and sending tingles through his arm.

"You better be. Like I was saying, it's all in the wrist. Be gentle and put a nice arch on it. That gives the ball a better angle. Aim for those cups over there. They're bunched closer together and if you miss the ball might ricochet into an adjacent jar. You can do it," she encouraged him. She stepped away from him dragging her hand across his back as she went, relishing the muscles as they tightened under her hand and enjoying the feel of being so close to him more than she was comfortable admitting even to herself.

She took another step away from him, now needing the distance, and looked at the attendee watching them with a smile. Clark took a moment to steady himself and ran down Lois' list of suggestions. He then released the ball and watched as it found its target. A happy laugh slipped through his teeth and he looked over at a smiling Lois.

"See you just needed a little Lane coaching."

He nodded. "Thanks. Now, I believe you have some unfinished business." He pointed to her two remaining shots. "Three down…one to go."

She wordlessly turned and picked up her ammunition and fired quickly. To her consternation the shot fell short and she cursed lowly. To her surprise she felt Clark slip up behind her a hair from touching. If she could do this then so could he, he decided.

"Now remember, elbow tight…fingers loose," he parroted her previous advice, and touched her elbow, bringing it against her side. She closed her eyes at the contact and marveled at the sparks she felt between them. "No pressure," he chuckled lowly in her ear.

She pivoted her head towards him, bringing their faces inches from one another. Looking directly into his eyes it was almost as if she could see through him. It was like he was focusing his entire energy on her from the intensity she found in his stare. "Since when have I backed down from pressure," she drawled slowly, leaning back ever so slightly to brush against his chest. They silently agreed to hold their close proximity as the seconds ticked by, each wrapped in an unfamiliar spell the other seemed to have cast.

Without notice, Lois broke away from him and stepped forward releasing the ball. Clark watched in slow motion as it flew through the air. It hit the rim of a jar and bounced high into the air coming down on a neighboring jar's rim and bouncing again before falling lightly into its open mouth.

"Yes," she squealed, feeling his arms circling her stomach and herself being lifted off the ground. He spun her in a slow circle offering his congratulations and then eased her back to her feat.

She stumbled a step when he finally released her and turned on him feeling a bit breathless and dizzy – neither of which could be blamed on the spin she just took. "G-geez, Smallville, r-remember earlier and our discussion on cavemen?" _I'm freaking stuttering..great...good one _Lois. He smiled brightly at her and she felt a skip in her heartbeat at being the recipient of that charming smile.

"And here I am retaining all my digits," he boasted with a mischievous smile, flashing his fingers between them.

"Cute," she returned sarcastically. "Don't push me." She pointed her finger at him threateningly, but her grin betrayed her mood.

~*~

They strode through the park now surrounded by gift shops and restaurants. Lois' arms were wrapped around the huge tiger she had won. It was large enough that her fingers had to strain to connect around its belly. Clark on the other hand held a green clad figure that barely filled his hand. He was looking at it with a little frown.

"You know you could have shown me your little tricks of the trade before I only had one ball left," he grumped. He heard her snigger, but it was low enough that he was sure she hadn't meant him to.

"Could I have," she asked innocently, her mouth drawn to the right as she bit her lip. "But then you wouldn't have won your little Green Arrow figure," she said, the humor evident in her voice. Lois leaned close to him and examined it more closely. "I think he's cute. Look at his little hood and, oh, is that a crossbow. Nice."

His jaw jumped as he clenched it tightly shut and sent her a highly annoyed glance. "Whatever. Are you hungry because I'm starving."

"Yep, but I think I need to take this guy to the car." She hugged the tiger closer. "I don't want to lug it around the rest of the day."

"But we've already ridden all the roller coasters. What else could you possibly want to do?"

She smiled and rose a solitary brow. "All but one, Smallville. I saved the best for last."

"Are you serious? What's so special about it," he asked, getting nervous.

"You'll see," she replied cryptically. "Now I have to go to the car."

"Here," he said, taking it from her. "I'll do it. You decide what you want to eat and I'll be back in a flash." He figured it would be easier for him to do the chore besides he wanted to figure out what Lois was about to spring on him.

"Wow, thanks. Who said chivalry was dead," she finished with a wink.

"I'll be right back," he shot over his shoulder, already walking away.

~*~

"Are you okay," Lois asked Clark as they stood in line for a tall blue coaster known as Griffin. He was shifting nervously and his features held a tightness about them. She could easily sense his unease.

"I guess. It's just…we just ate and it getting late…do we really have to ride this one? It specifically plays on my phobia," he finally finished quietly. He looked up at the first drop that towered over two hundred feet in the air. A floorless cart with three rows of ten seats made its way to the drop and stopped, dangling its occupants over the ledge and showing them just how far they had to fall for at least five seconds before suddenly releasing them. A chorus of screams split the air as the car plunged straight down at a ninety degree angle.

While he was watching the ride she slipped over to stand at his side. "It's going to be great, Clark. It's no skydiving, but baby steps, right? I'll get you there," she said confidently with a wink. Their eyes met and held. He felt himself relax and couldn't help but marvel at how easily she had always been able to talk him down from ledges over the years. He wondered how she was able to get under his skin unlike anyone else in the world and understand what he needed to hear at just the right moment to calm him at the same time. Lois Lane truly was one of a kind.

The line moved and Lois pulled him away from his vantage point. They were nearing the loading station and Lois chose a row – the very front one, of course. Clark groaned.

"The front," he asked in a pleading tone – brows drawn together tightly. "It's not enough that I'm getting on? You also have to put me in the front!"

"Go big or go home Clark. If you're going to do this, you might as well do it right," she said in a kind voice.

"How do you always manage to talk me into these things," he wondered aloud.

"It's a gift." Her eyes twinkled with unspoken mirth.

He ran his hands through his hair and looked back at the drop he would soon face. She placed her hand on his jaw and drew his face back around to her, changing positions with him so that his back was to Griffon.

"If you keep staring at it you're just going to psyche yourself out. Just look at me and tell me something."

The narrow space leading to the front was cordoned off by a metal partition that formed the line. The bodies of those around them and the tight space forced the two to stand closely – less than a foot from each other. The hand that had rested on his jaw slipped to his chest, covering his quick heartbeat. He felt the heated connection that had been steadily building all day – or maybe longer, but he didn't want to think about that – flare once again between them.

"What? Tell you what?" He smiled down at her and she stopped breathing for a few seconds, mirroring his feelings.

"Umm. Anything. Just talk and distract yourself." _And me_, she thought, once again getting a little lost in touching him. "Like…has the all American farm boy ever…ever – been in a fight?"

He cleared his throat in thought. Clark remembered all of the meteor infected people he had taken down over the years and the phantoms, but he didn't think that that was what she really meant.

"I'm not much of a brawler," he finally said, getting her to laugh and nod in agreement. "But freshman year a bunch of football players did jump me. Circumstances slanted the odds against me though."

"Why? What was their beef with you?" Her curiosity was peaked.

"The captain of the team was Lana's boyfriend, Whitney. He saw us talking and got the wrong impression."

Lois felt a twinge of an emotion she refused to name and shoved it away, stubbornly burying it under sarcasm. "Is there ever a 'wrong impression' with you and Lana?" The words came out sharper than she had intended, and she kicked herself, looking away from him.

It was his turn to cup her face and make her face him. "Yes," he said simply with so much sincerity in his voice and eyes that she had to swallow down a sudden lump in her throat. In that moment they had an unspoken conversation, leaving both wondering what was happening between them. The line moved and the herd of people pressed on them, effectively breaking them apart and forcing them ahead.

He rubbed his hands together and quickly jumped to fill the silence not wanting to allow it to stretch and cause tension. "I don't think I need to ask if you have ever been in a fight," he said with a chuckle and she rolled her eyes. "Maybe a better question would be how many or even what was your first one?" He nudged her with a smile.

"I don't think this really classifies as fighting, but when I was six there were these two brothers who were the sons of one of my dad's drill sergeants. One was a year younger than me and one was a year older. We played together a lot and they were always challenging me to wrestling matches, but I always won. So, one day they decided that to even the odds they would both take me on," she paused for a moment.

"So what happened? Did you win?"

She gave him an 'oh, please…who do you think you're talking to' look. "Yes, but the younger of the two, Chris, got a few scrapes in the process and left crying. I thought I was going to get a tanning from the general for sure, but the sergeant just laughed and told Chris that if he was going to play rough he might get hurt. He patted me on the shoulder laughing and sent me home." Lois had a faraway look of remembrance in her eyes and Clark couldn't help imagining what little Lois had looked like.

"Your turn, so, ask away."

"Hmm. Who was your first kiss?"

She laughed. "I wasn't expecting that. Hmm…it would have to be Derek Renner. My first love."

"Your fist love," he asked incredulously.

"You're right love is too strong a word…crush would probably be more accurate. How in love can you really be at eleven?" His brows elevated into his hairline, making her chuckle again. "Don't worry it was a real My Girl moment. There was a countdown and everything."

Their conversation was interrupted by the people in front of them. They had almost reached the gate, Clark realized. The time with her had flown by and she had effectively distracted him and eased his discomfort. It came back full force at the stranger's words as he addressed Lois.

"Hey! Would you and your boyfriend like to come ahead of us? The next car is only going to seat two of the four in our group and we want to ride together," the man explained.

"Oh! We're not…" she motioned between them, sharing an uncomfortable look with Clark. "Uh. Never mind. That would be great. Thank you." She pulled him forward and they slipped by the group of four.

"We're on the next car. Are you ready?" As she looked at him she could see all his anxiety was back and had probably increased. He was looking almost ill. She placed her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to focus on her eyes. "It's going to be fine. I'm going to be right there beside you the whole time," she told him, trying to impart strength with her touch and eyes.

He could only nod and then the gates opened and they were ushered to their seats. His heart was beating frantically as he sat and strapped in…well, there was no turning back now. The floor fell away and they were moving. The lift took them up quickly and soon they were making the last turn before the drop. Clark felt his hands shake. He was up so high that he could see the entire park. He kept chanting to himself to breath and stay calm. It wasn't working though until he felt her hand take his. Her simple touch worked wonders and he was finally able to get a breath through his constricted throat. The car stopped with them facing the ground two hundred feet below. He turned to look at her. She was barely visible behind the thick chest straps, but he saw her smile and wink at him. _Wow, she's really great_, he thought, and then they fell.

~*~

Clark got out of his seat, wobbling on gelatinous legs. He walked off the platform and was met by a laughing Lois Lane who was leaning against a post. He flashed her a bright smile. That was…well…wow.

"You can say it anytime, Clark."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't. That smile could light up a room. I'm waiting for the 'you were right Lois' speech."

"You think my smile could light up a room," he said, raising a suggestive brow.

She smacked him and took his arm as they walked. He felt a hitch in her step – her balance having been affected by Griffin as well. "You would latch onto that. It's okay. I know I'm right," she stated confidently with a raised chin.

"You were right," he conceded after a beat, loving the feel of her holding onto his arm. "Are you ready to head back to the hotel? Tonight's a big night and all," he asked.

She ran her thumb over his bicep a few times – not being able to resist the temptation – before answering. "I am if you are."

"Let's go." He angled them towards the exit.

TBC

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hope you liked it. Let me know ;D

Oh yeah! If anyone wants to see the coaster I was attempting to describe here's a link. It's actually at Bush Gardens Williamsburg.

.com/


	5. Chapter 5 A

Chapter 5 part-A:

The elevator doors slid open releasing a chorus of cheerful voices as Lois, Clark and Oliver, all dressed elegantly in their Ball attire, exited it. They drifted into the suite, each making their way towards the comfortable couches across the room. Oliver sank into the leather and let out a tired sigh, slipping his already loosened bowtie out of his tuxedo shirt collar with a snap and depositing in an interior pocket of his jacket.

"Oliver, you sure know how to throw a party," Lois told him, gathering the skirt of her gown at the back of her thighs and sitting on a neighboring couch. She sighed, happy to be off her feet. Clark took up a leaning position against the floor to ceiling glass window, crossing his arms and sending furtive glances between Oliver and Lois.

"Yes, that was quite an interesting evening," Clark chimed in, all the while looking at Lois.

Oliver decided to dig a little to see what he could uncover, curious what they might reveal. "I looked for you two several times after we got separated, but it was almost as if you had completely disappeared from the party. Where did you lose yourselves?" Lois met Clark's eyes with a shy knowing smile and his blue spheres sparkled with promise. Oliver didn't miss their exchange, feeling left out of a secret by their liberal use of non-verbals, but in this case he found he didn't mind in the least.

Oliver bounced a curious eye between the two in question. He truly was curious where they had run off to, but even more so he wanted to know what they had done while they were there – though if the looks they had been sharing the whole ride back to the hotel were any indication he didn't need to reach far to come up with a pretty accurate guess.

Clark answered him, tearing his eyes away from Lois…finally. "There were so many people, you probably just missed us in the crowd. I saw you a few times, but you looked pretty busy…what with those two blondes hanging off either arm." Clark raised a teasing brow. Lois was less subtle and exercised her amusement with a chuckle. Her smile was bright with laughter, having lost the shy conspiratorial edge it had sported when earlier aimed at Clark.

"Well, my job here is done," he announced suddenly with a grin, now thoroughly convinced something was going on between them. "I just wanted to come up and make sure you two had a good night…and it seems you did; so, I'll just see myself out." He had intended on talking to Clark about 'business', but that could wait till morning. For now, he planned on initiating his hasty exit plan. He pushed himself off the sofa and headed for the elevator he had so recently vacated. Clark moved to intercept him, shaking his hand with an all too knowing smile.

"Everything was amazing. Congratulations on a rousing success."

Oliver's grin widened.

"Thanks Clark," he replied jovially, returning the hand shake with enthusiasm.

Lois rose while they spoke and captured Oliver in a friendly hug once he was finished speaking to Clark. "It was beautiful. See you tomorrow," she asked, releasing him and taking a step back.

"Yes. I'll be around after I take care of a few things. Goodnight Clark…Lois." He turned and left, leaving them staring at his back as he was swallowed by the sliding doors of the lift.

The clock ticked the seconds away while a stifling silence enveloped the room, both of its occupants caught under its weight. Lois and Clark pivoted to face one another becoming keenly aware that they were now all alone as the tension between them built ominously with each passing moment. Clark racked his brain for something appropriate to say to her, but it was as though he was momentarily struck dumb; the Ball's events raced through his thoughts. Lois watched his eyes which portrayed the turning of his mind clearly, serving almost as a projector screen to display the memories he was indulging in and dragging her back mere hours along with him into the experiences they now shared.

Lois couldn't believe how uncharacteristically giddy she felt - she was discovering that, these days, Clark had an uncanny ability to unnerve her. She was almost shaking with anticipatory energy and she took a bold step forward, leaving only a buffer of several small feet between them. Her hands clasped together, knuckles whitening under the strain of her grasp. Her move caught his attention, rousing him from his remembrance.

"So..." Lois trailed off, eyes running along the defined line of his square jaw to settle on their desired target - his mouth.

"So," Clark emulated her, gliding closer with an affected confidence the butterflies in his stomach inhibited him from honestly feeling. He stared down into her hazel eyes, gaining assurance from the flickering flame his nearness was igniting in their depths. It was requiring all his will power to refrain from eliminating the small space separating them and wrapping her in his arms, finally claiming her pouty lips in a hungry kiss. His plight was not helped when he took a deep breath meant to be calming, but it instead served to capture her intoxicating fragrance and shackle him more securely to the seemingly unavoidable surrender to his desire.

"So...you..." Once again her words ran dry and her voice dropped an octave lower than was normal. Her heart skipped a beat and stomach performed an Olympic worthy summersault at the barely bridled passion Clark was exuding just under the surface. _Who knew he could be like this_, she marveled. Her palms itched to run across his sculpted chest and travel higher to bury themselves in his thick raven hair. A tightening in her stomach signaled how badly she craved to finally bring their bodies together - vividly remembering the sensation of being in his arms and desperately wishing to return.

"Yeah," he agreed quietly, watching transfixed as she shuffled nearer. His neck craned down instinctively, mouth drawing oh so close to its craved haven.

"…and me," she breathed out and partially gave in to her prior fantasy – hands flashing under his black tuxedo jacket to rest over his hard pectoral muscles, feeling his heart racing erratically under her palm. Lois considered gloating until she was forced to acknowledge her own pulse nearly beating out of her chest as his hovering presence began to overpower her senses and make thinking harder by each passing second. _If only he would stop looking at me with those dark hazy eyes maybe I could think properly and get myself back under control_.

"Mmmhh. You and me," he parroted back, driven to distraction by the tingles the pads of her fingers were leaving in their wake as they petted his chest, forming languid figure eights. His body reacted to her touch immediately and he made a decision without bothering to consult his cognizant side – which she had sent reeling back to a far unacknowledged corner of his mind the moment she chose to touch him. His arms snaked around her waist, pulling up against him – their lips now almost brushing, yet both continued to hold back from crossing the point of no return a kiss would represent in that moment.

"Well – t-tonight." Lois' eyes abandoned his mouth, concerned she would lose her sanity if she stared at those full lips any longer without asserting a powerful claim over them. She chose to focus on his eyes and instantly questioned her mental stability all over again as she began to drown in their shiny blue depths; her emotions reflecting back at her only making it more fruitless to resist the humming desire amassing deep within her.

"Y-yeah…it was all-"

"Wrong," she finished for him breathlessly, trying to be mad – and failing miserably – when his hands began stroking her back sensually and encouraging the fires he had already ignited in her to burn all the more hotly.

"Wrong," he repeated apparently in agreement, but the word was spoken more like a coaxing sweet nothing than in earnest.

"Because we're, we're friends," she muttered more to convince herself than in an earnest attempt to sway him. He held her eyes as he deliberately lowered his head a beat downwards, in no way put off. Their breath played and mingled as they took short erratic gasps of air.

"Friends. And friends don't…that would be like a-a…sin or something," he provided lamely – brain taking a hiatus from clever comments or meaningful conversation. They were so close that his lips brushed across hers as he spoke. She had to suppress a whimper as torrid sparks raced through her at the blessed contact that she wanted nothing more than to deepen and drown in her own passion. She knew he wasn't immune to the contact's affects because his eyes lay half shut in a heavily hooded pose, pupils dilated and managing only a thin sliver of crystalline blue around the far edges. He sighed into her mouth reveling in her soft body as it radiated heat and molded to him as if designed with only him in mind…plus she was having shockingly invigorating effects on him that not even Earth's yellow sun could rival.

She chuckled darkly against his mouth at his bumbled comments and the vibrations accordioned down his spine, taking him to new levels of excitement and anticipation. His hips jerked into hers unconsciously in raw instinct, stimulating her already pulsing core precisely where her body begged to be touched. They let out simultaneous moans at the stimulation and Clark searched himself for the ironclad control over such primal urges and auditory reactions that he prided himself on never losing. Lois seemed to have driven all rational thought from his grasp.

"No…not a sin. An abomination unto Nuggan at the very most," she quipped and he wondered how she was able to joke and well be…her even under the effects of all the feelings and electric excitement pulsing between them. Lois was…well Lois.

They managed to pull back from the electromagnetic pull that seemed to suck them ever closer as they stared into the depths of the other's eyes. They were each still holding back from what their bodies wanted, nay demanded. The reason being their friendship…deeply valued by both. Once they intentionally plundered the erotic treasure the other's lips provided their platonic love would never be the same – would it even survive? They probed each other for answers as their lips hovered expectantly close. This was a heavy decision to be make for both…were they even in the state to make it with an objectivity as worked up as both knew they were?

They were balanced precariously on a teeter totter weighing their feelings and the possible ramifications…both disastrous and ecstatic.

Clark let out a simple plea, begging her to provide him with some clairvoyance, using only a single word…"Lois."

She responded just as desperately with an appeal of her own, "Clark?"

They rested panting against each other in a hopeless stalemate. Clark's arms still wrapped possessively around her waist and her hands lying motionless on the ridge by his neck where they had worked his jacket half off his shoulders. Decisions…_are they ever easy_, they both wondered as want oozed through their bodies like a molten trail of lava:

~*~

A/N: I'm not sure if this will satiate you or frustrate…maybe a little of both lol. I never planned on updating here, but I will dedicate it to Katie and Kiki39 who asked me to. This was to be the beginning of the chappie to stimulate interest in how they got to this chapter's point (what happened earlier sort of thing)…hopefully it can stand alone because I wanted to get something out before the disaster we all fear Requiem will be and this was the only workable bit I had. Anyway, I'm babbling…hope this doesn't suck!

PS: If anyone got the book reference I threw in there for kicks please let me know. You'll make my day!


	6. Chapter 5 B

I would have been done with this sooner, but I managed to lose about a thousand words at one point and my spirits got all low because as we all know it's never as good the second time you try to write it.

Hope you enjoy:

Chapter 5B:

Oliver and Clark waited in the hotel's lobby for the fashionably late Miss Lane to make her appearance so that the trio could finally leave for the Ball. Clark restlessly rolled his neck in quiet frustration, handling Lois' tardiness with less patience than his friend. _Leave it to Lois to go by her own timetable and keep everyone waiting_, he thought dryly.

"Relax, Clark. She said she would be down in a minute." Ollie tried to calm his shifty companion, laying a quiet hand on Clark's broad tuxedo clad shoulder.

Clark turned to him with a tight expression. "Yeah…twenty minutes ago," he sighed out, running an agitated finger under his collar and tugging it away from his neck in obvious discomfort. He hated dressing up in these monkey suits. He wondered darkly why he had agreed to do this again. Oh, that's right, Tess Mercer, evil Luthor empire, medical testing of innocent people, check, check and check. He would just have to add 'roundaboutly forcing people to wear tuxedos in order to uncover their insidious plots' to the ever growing list of reasons to bring Lex and his minions to justice. Oliver was saying something to him.

"You have a lot to learn about women," Ollie informed him with a knowing grin, pausing as something over Clark's shoulder captivated his attention. Clark's eyes squinted in curiosity at Oliver's suddenly frozen faraway gaze. "I don't think you're going to mind the wait much longer," he predicted, a chuckle floating through the air along with his words as he turned the larger man to face the topic of conversation as she coasted towards them, a gentle sway rocking her hips.

Clark's eyes immediately fell on the dark beauty gliding across the lobby in a long sleek black dress that flowed over her curves and accentuated them like the finest wine to a perfect dish. He swallowed thickly as his eyes ran from head to toe, taking her all in with a slackened jaw. She had her hair swept up elegantly and his eyes traveled lower tracing the neckline of her gown, which left enough to the imagination that he caught himself doing just that. Something in the back of his mind told him that he was staring, but he was too engrossed in the vision filling his sight to heed its command to look away.

Lois joined the two handsome men waiting for her, but had eyes for only one. The tuxedo he wore fit him like a custom tailored glove and made his shoulders appear even broader – how was that even possible? She continued her appraisal of him and her traitorous mind could only produce one thought, yum. She was shamelessly checking him out and too captivated to notice him doing the same. After a few moments Lois snapped out of her daze and felt her heart jump at the look in his eyes. There was a glint that she found dangerous, especially in combination with her previous line of thinking. It was having unplanned effects on her. She knew she had to break out of whatever anomaly had come over them and created this charged moment.

She cleared her throat and his eyes snapped to meet hers. She hesitated a moment, caught in his aquatic stare, before steeling herself and rallying her senses to deliver a snarky comment. "Close that mouth, Smallville. We wouldn't want you to swallow a fly or drool on your big boy clothes, now would we?" She reached up and closed his jaw with a teasing index finger, hearing a 'click' as she continued walking past them and out of the hotel without a look back to enjoy the silence suddenly encompassing the duo she left in her wake.

The two men were frozen, staring after her as she left the hotel. Clark tried to trace her steps, but found his muscles locked, refusing to obey his brain's order for motion. The source of their mutiny was the back of Lois' dress, or more appropriately lack thereof, which swooped low, baring most of the tan skin from her shoulders to her waist to the elements and his hungry eyes.

"So, what were you saying about those twenty extra minutes, Clark?" Oliver stood aside watching Clark stare after his ex-girlfriend with understanding. He recalled a time when he had looked at Lois Lane the way Clark was, and he also remembered what it meant.

It took a beat for Clark to answer. "Wait," he mumbled absently, "what are you talking about?" Oliver could tell that the other man wasn't really listening to him, his mind obviously occupied elsewhere.

He laughed and nudged Clark into motion, leading the way to his awaiting Limo. "I thought so."

~*~

Oliver told them to have a great time and he would catch up to them later before leaving shortly after the group's arrival to perform his duties as host. The hall that the party was held at was beautiful to say the least. Tall rich marble columns reached towards the elaborate domed ceiling, intricate patterns carved in twisting shapes circled to the top. Well concealed lights illuminated the towering roof and set off the web like pattern meticulously spun to maximize the pleasure the viewer experienced on beholding the sight by its master architect. At the pinnacle of the dome a mosaic of colored glass formed flowing shapes. The setting sun played through the ceiling's glass, bathing the hall in twinkling shoots of light. Stories of gilded balconies overlooked the space, clearly exhibiting each level of the interior in defined tears as the walls soared up to stomach turning heights.

Lois and Clark meandered through the crowd lacking a specific destination, simply taking in their opulent surroundings. A passing tuxedo clad server carried a tray filled with full champagne flutes, offering them to guests in passing. Clark snagged two and handed one to Lois who absently accepted his offering while looking around at the aesthetics of the ballroom.

They mingled with people throughout the room and Lois had to fight her nature tooth and nail to refrain from pulling out her reporter's hat, but she failed to completely win her internal battle. She heard several interesting tidbits as she matriculated through the throng of dignitaries and celebrities and made mental notes, determined to look into them further at a later juncture.

Clark tugged at his collar, trying to loosen the tie for the umpteenth time that night and Lois smacked his hand down. "Stop that. You have been pulling at your neck like a tethered dog against its restraints all night." He shot her a dirty look for comparing him to a dog but complied.

"I don't like wearing tuxedos. They're too . . . constraining," he finished with a pout.

Lois snorted and then ran an appreciative eye over his attire. "That's a shame." The smirk she sent him held a voracious edge as she ran a rogue hand down his lapel. He quickly looked away from her seeking a distraction. Having his beautiful friend eyeing him like that and touching his chest was a dangerous cocktail – his feelings for her becoming muddled recently. He grabbed her hand, dragging her towards the center of the room and the swarming dance floor. His sudden move caught her by complete surprise and it took her a few seconds of being pulled behind him for her to regain her senses. She tugged against him, resenting his caveman tactics.

"What are you doing, Clark? Where are we going?" She attempted to free herself, but he held fastly, not hurting her but refusing to release her at the same time. If she could pull unexpected things on him, then he could do the same. He continued to ignore her and marched purposefully onward. "Did you take a testosterone shot with your Wheaties this morning or something? Let me go." He finally acquiesced, turning to stare down at her with a small smile. She glared at him in return, wondering if his bowtie had somehow managed to cut off the flow of oxygen to his head, causing instantaneous brain damage. "What is wrong with you?" she growled, rubbing her wrist accusatorily.

He motioned with his head to the dance floor they now stood directly beside. "I'm dancing with you." He said it with a 'duh' inflection that made Lois' eyes narrow dangerously.

"I don't know what kind of ho downs or barn dances you're used to, but forcefully dragging unsuspecting woman around the room does not constitute dancing; though it's probably the best I should expect from you. Chloe has told me stories," she taunted, her head cocking to the left.

"Ha ha," he responded dryly, clearly not amused. He took a step forward and moved to put a hand on her waist, trying to lead her onto the floor despite her remarks. "Come on Lois, just dance with me." The confidence he seemed to be drenched in at the moment both pissed her off and, to her horror, turned her on. A beat later her brows drew together, she gave in to the prior, and took a step back.

"I don't think I want to dance with an uncouth brute, thank you." She crossed her arms across her chest and countered his confidence with defiance mastered over a lifetime.

"Lois." He tried a second time in a low voice, once again stepping closer.

This time she didn't bother moving away from him, instead she simply stared up at him with a petulant glare that said, 'make me' – arms still crossed and hips slanted in challenge. Clark huffed in frustration and rolled his eyes at her stubbornness, but what else should he expect when it came to Lois Lane? The woman held a doctorate in pushing his buttons. They were locked in their private starring battle, completely ignoring the bustle and animation as it flowed all around them.

Their silent war was interrupted by a feminine high pitched shriek that cut through the crowd as efficiently as a hot knife through butter, drawing the eyes of many. "Clark! Clark Kent? Is that really you? What are you doing here?" The voice queried. The combatants whipped their heads around in search of its source and both eventually spotted a short slight brunette pushing her way through the crowd. She had a huge bright smile gracing her pretty features. Lois looked up at Clark and noticed recognition suddenly come over him.

"Rachel? Oh my god, how long has it been?"

She didn't pause in her advance long enough to answer him, instead throwing herself into his arms. It took Clark a moment to respond, but he eventually did, wrapping his arms around her in a friendly hug. Lois looked on in astonishment at the sight before her as the two made innocuous conversation, the subject matter of which Lois didn't really follow.

She noted with displeasure the way this 'Rachel' kept her hand on Clark's chest and continued her invasion of his personal space. She felt her eyes narrow possessively and the unpleasant sensation of jealousy creeping through her – _who is this little slip of a women to come over here and fondle and fawn all over Clark like this_. Lois made a decision, completely aware it was unfounded, as she stood at Clark's side largely ignored, that she didn't like this stranger. Nope not at all. It had to be her voice, or maybe her face – was there something off with it or was it just her? She finally stopped her silent seething long enough to really look at the woman and realized she had seen her somewhere before. The cogs in her mind turned and she let out a bark of laughter when realization hit her.

She stepped closer to the pair, tired of being relegated to the background. "Rachel Davenport. Smallville, you know Rachel Davenport. How?" Her eyes darted between the two, searching for answers to the myriad of questions clogging her thoughts and jockeying for position.

"Yes he does. Clark here was kind enough to allow the set of Warrior Angel to film on his farm last year. During which time he managed to save my life and play the role of my fearless bodyguard," Rachel answered for him in a near coo, refusing to look away from him even once during her response. Then with a cutesie scrunch of her nose, she asked a confused question, "Smallville?"

Clark shook his head giving her a 'don't ask' look. He was about to step away from the actress, her attentions making him uncomfortable – his mind was occupied trying to think of a subtle way to escape her grasp, as nicely as possible, not wishing to ruffle any feathers. He looked back at Lois for the first time since Rachel had approached them, hoping for help. A thought hit him. He took a step closer to Lois, drawing away from Rachel, and he introduced the two women. Rachel brushed the introduction off with a quick 'hi' and returned her focus to Clark. He swore he heard Lois' teeth grinding.

He didn't know quite what to make of what he saw in Lois' features and posture. She was staring dangerously at Rachel with emotions flaring up that he wasn't ready to deal with just then. His focus was on detaching himself from the light acquaintance that was flirting with him and keeping Lois from surrendering to her fiery side. Before he could plead for her assistance with his eyes, Rachel had walked over to him and was asking her next question.

"So, Clark, are you and Lana still playing the rolls of Mr. and Mrs. Sweet Domestic Bliss?" She looked all around, even going so far as to peak around his back. "I don't see her with you."

Clark swallowed, nervous how she would react to his answer. "No. No, actually we broke up some time ago." He took her hand off his chest and once again retreated a step.

"Awww, you poor thing," she said, biting her lip. "So…you're single now, huh?" Lois snorted derisively and couldn't summon a dramatic enough eye roll to suit her needs. "Soooo, what does a girl have to do to get a dance around here," she flirted, suddenly changing the subject all the while ignoring Lois.

Lois had finally had her fill of this sickening charade and stepped up, looping her arm through Clark's. She donned an artificial saccharine sweet smile and directly addressed Rachel for the first time. "In this case . . . unfortunately for you, you will have to get in line. Come on Clark, I believe we were discussing this very subject before we were interrupted."

Clark readily accepted the out she was providing him, but couldn't help adding a little twist to his agreement in retaliation for her earlier stubbornness. "I'm afraid she is right, Rachel. Lois was just telling me that she would love nothing more than for me to sweep her onto the dance floor and impress her with my dance prowess. I mean I don't dance that often, but when your friend practically begs you…who could say no?" He finished and shot Lois a smug look.

He just hoped he had read the feelings playing in Lois' eyes moments earlier correctly, and she would take this jab as simply one more in their endless sparring of words without walking away from him sporting a thundercloud billowing overhead – and she would do all this because she wanted to get him away from Rachel. She captured his eyes and he saw all the animosity thundering in their depths had shifted targets from the smaller woman and had been unceremoniously dropped on him. He saw her mouth 'you're really pushing it' and 'I'm so going to make you pay for this'. His only response was to adopt a heart melting smile and beam it straight at her. He thought he heard her heart pick up, but the next moment she had shifted her attention back to Rachel and he was no longer sure what he may or may not have heard. He figured it must have merely been his imagination.

She tilted her head and drew her lips into a thin line, feigning commiseration for Rachel's plight. "Better luck next time," she shot over her shoulder, turning towards the dance floor and pivoting him away from the clinging girl in the process. Clark stifled a laugh. He wondered which he wanted more, to tease Lois about her obvious show of jealousy or thank her profusely for coming to his rescue.

"Oh well, maybe later," Rachel supplied hopefully and Clark responded with non-committal noises as he let himself be drug away by Lois.

"Geez, Lois, you don't have to pull my arm off. Now who's behaving like they're at a 'ho down' and pulling innocent people around," Clark asked, chuckling.

"Leading a mule around is more like it. . .a stubborn actress loving mule," she grumbled under her breath not intending for him to hear her quiet words, but of course he did.

His chuckle grew into a full out laugh. She spun quickly on her heals, facing him with a tight glare. "What? What do you find so funny?" He just smiled down at her, melting her anger away, to her growing consternation. That was so not fair. He shouldn't be able to do that.

He drew near her, placing his hands on her hips and rhythmically swaying to the slow music, urging her wordlessly to join him. Her hands came up to lay on his chest and a debate raged within her whether to pull the gorgeous guy closer or push the infuriating man away; so, she stayed in stasis. The seconds counted themselves off until finally she succumbed to the pull of his smile and butterfly inducing hands and moved gently to the deliberate beat of the song filling the air. Her body finally relaxed as she gave in to the dance, her hands slipping up his chest to rest on the ridge of his shoulders.

"Have I told you that you look beautiful tonight." The softness in his deep voice combined with the gentle way he was looking at her dissolved the remainder of her anger. _Not fair_, she thought again.

"In a way, I suppose. Thanks. You clean up pretty well yourself."

"What do you mean 'in a way'?"

"Well, your jaw hitting the floor didn't do anything to hurt my ego," she informed him mischievously, enjoying his indignant outcry.

"What? My jaw didn't hit the floor."

"Oh it did, I assure you. You resembled a cartoon wolf getting his first look at some curvy bombshell."

He sighed deeply and figured it would be best just to let this line of conversation die. "Whatever." Clark slid his hands around her waist, pulling her closer, yet there still remained a healthy gap between them. He leaned down and said in a low voice close to her ear, "You have compared me to a dog and a mule tonight. Not very flattering, if you ask me." He continued, head tilted down cockily, "Do you have any more barnyard animals to add to your growing list of analogies?"

She recovered from the shock of his having heard her mule comment quickly in typical Lois fashion – face morphing into a devilish grin. "Well I don't recall asking, and what could have possibly lead you to believe it was meant to be flattering," she challenged, looking at him slyly out of the corner of her eye. "And as to the analogies, don't tempt me, Smallville." She bit her lip, watching his eyes follow the gesture and laughing soundlessly.

He quietly returned his mouth to her ear. "What's the matter, Lois." His arms wrapped completely around her, bringing them ever so close to brushing against one another. His breath tickled her ear and neck, nearly causing her eyes to flutter shut. "I thought you liked temptation."

_Oh. My. God. Clark Kent is flirting with me_. Though, she admitted that the realization should not come as much of a surprise. They had been locked in a long continuous round of banter/fighting/_flirting_ since the day they met.

She reciprocated his move, a jolt of excitement settling in her stomach, encircling his neck with her arms, bringing their bodies fully together and allowing herself to softly mold against him. "Temptation and I are only mild acquaintances," she announced, her words coming out breathily, but she couldn't quite control her speech just then. Being in Clark's arms – close enough to easily climb into his suit with him – feeling his powerful hard body seemingly everywhere, and being surrounded by his clean masculine scent was all making her control waver. He upped the ante and pushed said control towards a crumbling ledge as his hands began performing slow languid strokes up and down her back, her very bare back. It was sending waves of tingling pleasure through her that fueled her excitement, and she could feel her stomach tightening.

Lois had no intention of letting him get away with that sweet torture without a bit of retaliation for driving her crazy. She countered his action, delving the fingers of one hand into the hair at the nape of his neck she grasped a bundle of strands, which she leisurely twirled around her first finger. She was rewarded when a hazy glaze filled his eyes and his head lulled slightly under her touch. _And now for the final nail_. Her lips mimicked the positioning his had adopted earlier, a centimeter from brushing his ear and whispered so lightly that he would have had to strain to hear her words if he weren't enhanced in that area.

"I haven't had a great deal of experience when it comes to temptation," she paused, letting the thumb of her free hand trace circles across his spine, slipping under his shirt collar. He shivered and her plan backfired a bit as his movements created friction between them, stimulating the awakened nerves up and down their bodies. She swallowed thickly, but continued, "Because you know me . . . I tend to get what I want," she finished in a sultry voice.

She noticed his Adam's apple bob up and down when she buried her face in the crook of his neck, nervous about what might happen between them if she met his eyes. With a simple dance, well maybe not so simple, he had worked her into a mess of confused feelings. Her stomach was a molten knot, back felt like he had been scoring her with two superheated irons, and her front?...well she felt as though she had a toned, attractive, man whom she had long repressed feelings for pressed most intimately against her. Her only consolation was that he felt all of this too; his breathing and heartbeat irregular.

Clark's mouth opened and closed to answer her, words temporarily running dry. "Is that a fact," he eventually mumbled darkly, feeling her lips curl into an easy smile as she nodded against his neck. Having her in his arms was indescribable – muscles he hadn't realized were tight and knotted relaxed as they melted together, losing themselves in the moment destiny seemed to have uniquely tailored for them. He dreaded the future in which he would have to let go and face the consequences of the mutual tease they were indulging in, and then deal with the underlying feelings that put them in this position to begin with – she did feel something, right? She was barely doing anything, in the grand scheme of things, but her hands and body were driving him insane. The smell of her shampoo filled his nostrils and her fingers never ceased their assault on his neck, and his hands continued to greedily explore the silky plateau of her back. He tightened his arms more securely around her and felt more than heard her let out a little sigh.

His face rested just over her ear and he spoke softly. "Okay, Carrie Ann Inaba, what's the prognosis? Does my dancing make the grade?" His smile seeped into his tone.

Lois let slip what she would later fear was a giggle. She answered into the column of his neck with a shrug of her shoulders, "Hmm." She paused as though deeply contemplating her response. "Not bad…for an uncouth brute, I suppose."

His snort ruffled the loose strands of hair attempting to escape the hollow behind her ear. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Anytime."

The song faded around them followed by the band announcing there would be a fifteen minute intermission. The crowd melted away around them, but Lois and Clark simply shifted apart enough for their eyes to finally meet and hold, maintaining their embrace. Butterflies fluttered acrobatically in the pair's stomachs. Clark's eyes slipped to her mouth, and when she held steady, apparently having no intensions of backing away, it spurred him into the decision to damn the consequences, he wanted to kiss Lois and that's just what he was going to do - when a throat was cleared noisily behind him.

He groaned in frustration and turned around slowly, reluctantly letting Lois slip from his grasp. She busied herself adjusting her dress and hair, concentrating on bringing her blood down from its Clark induced boil. She looked up, curious who had disrupted them just as she saw determination collate in Clark's eyes. An unfamiliar and extremely humored face greeted her.

"What do you want, Victor," Clark growled between clenched teeth. Some of the amusement slipped from Victor's features as the normally mild mannered giant loomed over him, looking anything but pleased.

"Sorry, but the music had stopped," he explained himself defensively.

"And you needed…" Clark prompted.

"Oh, right. Oliver asked me to see if you would show him mercy. There is a Senator that keeps mentioning your mom and when he learned you were here he asked to meet you," Victor spoke cryptically.

"Um…okay. Thanks." Clark tried to brush the message off as inconsequential because knowing Lois her mind was frenetically attempting to decode any possible deeper meaning. Clark sighed and most of the irritation seemed to drain out of him. Oliver was letting him know that it was show time to attend to the real reason he was here. He turned to Lois and she saw regret flash through his eyes. He led them off the floor, hand at the small of her back.

"What, Oliver using messenger boys now? Who is this guy," Lois asked, sensing something was up and becoming annoyed at being left in the dark.

Victor stepped up and offered her his hand. "Victor Stone. I work with Oliver on," he considered how to safely describe what they did, "special projects." Her eyes narrowed and she seemed to look through him. Lois could tell he was hiding things from her.

"Lois Lane," she told him and shook the proffered hand.

"Lois Lane!?" He exclaimed with recognition, looking at Clark closely.

"That's my name," she snarked.

Clark stepped in between them. "Lois, I'll just go say hello. It shouldn't take long. Will you excuse me for a second," he said politely, already moving away from her not wanting to stick around and allow her the chance to insist on accompanying him.

She watched as the two men walked away from her, more like almost ran, and wound their way through the crowd. She considered catching up to them and informing them that she was coming too, but her gut told her there was more to Ollie's message and she had learned to trust her gut over the years. So, she had another idea.

Victor had been shooting him inquisitive looks since they left Lois. "What," Clark snapped.

"So," he started tentatively, "that was Lois?" Clark had to weave to avoid an overburdened waiter who wasn't paying attention and was on a collision course straight towards him.

"That's what she said . . . twice." Clark's thoughts strayed back to their dance and ran an ungratified hand through his hair, his body still hot from her touch.

"As in Oliver's Lois?"

Clark glowered at him. "First of all, I was friends with Lois for two years before Oliver met her. Second, they've been broken up for about that long; so, I wouldn't classify her as Oliver's Lois. Third, I wouldn't let Lois catch you referring to her as anyone's 'possession' if you know what's in your best interest."

Victor put up his hands up in surrender. "Okay, easy, Clark. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just you two looked pretty comfy out on the dance floor. And by comfy, of course, I mean moving in the direction of a totally different style of dance." He snuck a look at Clark and saw his face flicker through a myriad of emotions before solidifying into an indifferent mask.

"She is a really good friend."

With a, "Mmmhmm," Victor dropped it, sensing that Clark was in no mood to be pushed on the subject. Time for business. "We spotted Tess making her way towards the basement. I have some surveillance equipment to check over so that hopefully we can catch everyone that enters the lower levels on camera. Do your thing Boy Scout." He handed Clark an ear communication device, which Clark began putting in place. "When you get close to Tess' disruptor this will stop working, so make sure you keep that in mind."

"Right. No problem. I don't foresee needing to use it at all." Clark walked towards the stairs and quietly slipped through the door. His feet made sharp clinking noises that bounced and echoed off the staircase walls with every step. He heard multiple voices conversing in hushed tones and he paused a moment to consider his next course of action. There was no way that the owners of the voices hadn't heard his loud decent. He took a deep breath and chewed on his lip before deciding how to handle the men. If stealth was no longer an option, then he would just have to utilize the direct route.

He circled down several more flights before rounding the final corner and spotting two large men in dark suits flanking either side of a door. The bulge of a gun clearly evident at their sides and clear plastic earpieces tucked in their right lobes. Clark let his features slacken and eyes droop lazily in a drunken manner. He stumbled into the wall noisily, grasping the handrail and pushing himself into a wobbly standing position. The men had their hands buried in their jackets instantly as they eyed him suspiciously.

Clark looked at them and seemed to start in surprise at finding that he wasn't alone on the stairs. "Ohhhh, grate, waiterss," he slurred loudly enough to ensure they heard him. Their scowls deepened and he had to resist the grin that threatened to split his lips. He began taking slow and shaky steps towards them and they shifted into an even greater state of alert. "You guyss know where the bathroom is? The driinks really add up if you know what I mean." His laughter was self deprecating.

"There is no men's room here, so you just need to turn around and go back the way you came," the larger of the two goons ordered him in a foreign accent, and took a threatening step towards Clark to enforce his command. Clark straightened and shot into motion with lightning quickness, tapping both men on the head and knocking them out instantly. He caught them before they could slump to the ground and drug them under the stairs he had just descended. He patted them down, disarming them and melting the trigger mechanisms on their guns, rendering them useless.

"You'll have a headache when you wake up, but you'll be fine other than that," he told the unconscious forms before striding carefully out of the stairwell only after carefully x-raying the other side. A stark hall welcomed him. Gone were the beautiful architecture and extravagant decorations, and in their place he found himself entombed by stark white washed brick walls and the harsh flicker of fluorescent lighting, which immediately began to irritate his eyes. It was obvious that guests were never meant to venture down to these depths. He slunk around the maze the halls tangled into, following his hearing and trying to find his way to Tess' meeting place - unaware of a dark figure soundlessly tailing him.

He continued his quiet search, making turn after disorienting turn. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and stood on end. Someone was here…behind him…he could feel them. He turned quickly and found himself on the wrong end of a gun barrel. He really didn't want to have to use his powers, who knew what kind of surveillance Tess or the shady characters she was meeting could have put in place. He put up his arms.

"Easy there friend," Clark said, attempting to placate the man with his harmlessness.

"You should not be here. Put your hands behind your head, you're coming with me. Today, 'friend'," he spit the word out nastily, "I fear, is not your day."

"I was just looking for a men's room," Clark attempted to recycle his lie.

The large man scoffed at the pitiful statement. "Well, by all means, let me escort you." His words were full of menace. Clark was running out of options and quickly becoming resigned to relying on his powers to get him out of the situation when the man let out a loud grunt, his eyes rolled up in his head, he fell to his knees, and then face planted into the ground. Clark watched his decent to the floor and raised his shocked eyes to find Lois lowering her arms.

"Lois," he squeaked. "You're supposed to be upstairs at the party. What are you doing here," he demanded in a harsh accusatory whisper.

She put her hand on her hip and scowled at his tone. "Saving your ass, apparently. You're welcome, by the way" she shot back, looking down at the armed man. Then something dawned on her and her eyes narrowed. "I'm supposed to be upstairs? Those are bold words coming from someone who is 'supposed' to be greeting a _Senator_."

Clark heard Victor's voice break their radio silence. "Lois? Lois is there? You have to get rid of her, Boy Scout."

"I know," he sighed quietly. "Please go back to the party. I don't want you getting hurt," his eyes dropped helplessly to the floor, voice softening into a plea.

"Hell no! You know better than that, besides I don't want you getting hurt either, and who knows when the next time you will let your thoughts wonder off to cows and corn, almost get shot in the back and need me to save you. Plus," Clark waited through her pause and cringed at the glint he saw in her eyes. It was generally the precursor to her sinking her teeth into a story and locking her jaws, "I don't know what you're up to that has ugly armed thugs stalking you but . . . I want in." Her face broke into a mega watt smile and she moved to stand directly in front of him, staring up at him, her beautiful hazel eyes peeking through thick lashes. He felt himself weakening.

"Lois," he tried again.

"Do you really think you're going to win this discussion?"

_No_, he thought in quiet frustration, but his face hardened stubbornly.

"Fine. I'll put it this way. You can either stop arguing and take me along, or you can stand here explaining what you and Oliver are up to that concerns Tess Mercer." At his shocked expression she rolled her eyes and rushed on. "Don't belittle my intelligence. First, the thinly veiled message about Mercy delivered by that Victor character, which sent you scurrying away from our…our d-dance. And then I find you not meeting with one of your mother's colleagues but doing your best Bond impression, yeah, I found the two badly hidden secret service wanna be's catching Z's under the stairs. Two plus two equals you, Oliver, and shady business."

"I wasn't belittling your intelligence. I'm simply looking out for you." He recognized his blunder as her eyes lit up indignantly.

"I can take care of myself, and last time I checked I wasn't the one being helplessly held at gun point. I'll make your choice easy...the only way you're going to keep me from following you is to tie me up." She could tell he was considering that option and glared darkly at him, silently expressing that if he knew what was good for him he wouldn't even think about it. He mumbled something under his breath about her being the death of him before grabbing her wrist, continuing down the hall, and retuning his hearing to the search for Tess.

"Okay, but if I tell you to run or hide, DO IT." She rolled her eyes but remained silent, pulling out of his hold. _I'll do whatever I damn well please_, she thought. _Stupid farm boys with hero complexes_. Then she reminded herself to stay vigilant, she didn't know when she would have to get Clark out of another scrape.

"Smooth Boy Scout. Real smooth. I say get rid of someone and instead he invites them along as though he were on a play date." Clark heard Victor chide.

"Shut up," Clark growled. "I have everything under control."

Victor snickered. "If you say so, man. You're worse than our merry leader around Tweety's cousin."

"Go...hack into the security feed or...something, and leave me in peace to do my part." Clark was tired of being mocked and irritated at the possibility that it might be true.

"What are you muttering about over there and what are we looking for anyway?"

"A meeting."

"Geez Clark, could you be any more vague?" Her forehead scrunched in disapproval as they tentatively looked both ways when the hallway ended in a T, checking to ensure the coast was clear in both directions before proceeding to the right.

"Sure. We're looking for stuff, a place, and something." He laughed to himself, fully aware that his smart-alek comment would annoy her.

"Cute - real cute," she deadpanned. "Tell me what's going on. Why did Oliver get you of all people involved in this? Or better yet, why did Oliver get you involved in this and I wasn't included?" She shot her questions off rapid fire failing to regulate the level of her voice.

Clark stopped and turned to her. Startled by his abrupt halt, she almost walked right into his chest. "Would you keep it down? We don't know how many more guys with guns are roaming around down here."

They dissolved into bickering, Clark demanding she be quiet and Lois in turn demanding answers. He was completely distracted and failed to notice the approach of two of the very men he had just mentioned. Silenced weapons already drawn, they ordered Lois and Clark to put their hands on the wall in gruff serious voices.

"Lois remember how you agreed to run if I told you to," she nodded, "well now is the time. RUN." Clark pivoted, shielding her body with his, and pushed her down an adjacent hallway. He heard the suppressed pop of a shot being fired. These guys weren't playing around! They were most likely alerted that three of their number were no longer responding.

"Oh my god! They're shooting at us," Lois yelled.

They ran through the basement maze, making frequent turns in an attempt to confuse the men behind them and slip away to safety. Lois tried the handles on all the inevitably locked doors they passed, growing more frantic with every failed attempt.

"Hurry, Lois. I think they're getting closer."

"Have you ever tried running in heels," Lois snapped, her fear manifesting itself in the sharp comment. He realized she was right. The men were gaining on them. He needed to get her to safety. She tried yet another door and cried out in frustration.

"Here let me try," Clark said, reaching from behind her and forcing the locked door open. She looked up at him in utter surprise. "I think it was just stuck."

Whatever, Lois wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She sprinted through the door, tugging him along with her, closing it quickly behind them and shutting them off in complete darkness. She leaned against the door and took several long drags of air in an attempt to steady her breathing. Her harsh gasps and racing heart pounding in her ears, almost deafening in the stillness of the dark.

"Clark," she whispered into the dark after she felt her thundering pulse ease, his silence worrying her.

"I'm here, Lois."

"Where?" Her arms came up to feel in front of her. The darkness was disconcerting to her senses. She could feel it pressing down on her, making it seems like she was all alone in an endless sea of night. Her hand hit a shelf and she felt the cold metal up and down, trying to determine its dimensions. They must be in some kind of maintenance closet. Her breath hitched and heart nearly stopped when an arm snaked around her waist. Already on edge, she was barely able to suppress a startled shriek - limiting it to a tiny yelp.

"It's okay. It's just me. Sorry for scarring you," he whispered close to her ear. She almost hit him for not warning her, but when he pulled her into his broad chest the comfort his mere touch provided her nixed the idea. She relaxed in his arms and slowly let the breath she was holding out. They listened the pounding fall of their pursuers feet grow louder and then fade down the hallway, their sharp breathless intakes of air the only other sounds drifting through the tiny space.

"Are they gone," Lois asked, swallowing the frightened lump obstructing her throat.

"I'm not sure." Clark was afraid they would be back. During the chase he had heard them radioing for backup and, now that they realized they had lost their prey's trail, were beginning to sweep the area more carefully. He had to get Lois out of here. He ranted at himself for not having put his foot down and making her return to the party. Hell, right then he was wishing he had given the 'tie her up' option more thought even though he knew he would have been a dead man once she freed herself. Clark put a finger to his earpiece, "Cyborg. We ran into a bit of trouble and have people searching for us. Do you copy?" He was met by silence. "Cyborg? Cyborg!" Nothing. He pulled the electronic communicator out of his ear in frustration and ran anxious hands through his hair.

Lois had waited while he tried to contact Cyborg in silence. When he retracted his arm she shivered at the loss of contact and turned, placing her hands on his chest, needing to feel him and know that he was there with her in the pitch black. "Who were you trying to reach," she asked quietly, filling the oppressive silence.

"Friends."

Lois opened her mouth to ask for more details, but stopped as she picked up faint garbled and distorted speech emanating from the wall behind her. She knew she never would have heard it under normal circumstances, but the loss of sight had heightened her other senses. "Clark...do you hear something?" His heart seized into a knot because his first interpretation of her question was that she had somehow found out about his super hearing, but then he realized she was motioning towards the wall in front of him. She must have picked up on something over there. He concentrated and tuned into Tess' sharp tones as she addressed a room occupied by three middle aged men of differing ethnicity. He took a moment to put their faces to memory, scanning the room carefully for any clues that would help Oliver and his team.

Lois carefully felt her way across the small room and pressed her ear against the wall. "I think that's Tess. Well, we found your meeting too bad you can only hear about one word in ten."

Clark listened, hearing every word clearly but giving her only an ambiguous, "Hmm," in response.

He followed her voice towards the wall, accidently bumping into her and sending them both crashing into the bricks. "Clark, you're killing me here," Lois whispered huskily as she waited for him to unpin her from the wall. His body pressed against her in the darkness sending her mind into uncharted and not terribly wholesome waters.

"Sorry." She noted a hitch in his speech as he pushed himself off of her. A smile split her lips when he left his hand on her waist and hovered closely behind her. She had no intention of complaining.

They listened intently remaining completely silent for several long minutes. Clark was confused by the cryptic words being exchanged on the other side of the wall. They didn't seem to support Oliver's theory of the construction of more 33.1 facilities on foreign soil. Lois huffed in frustration, wishing she could hear more but hopeful that a useful word or phrase would slip through the crevices in the wall to be captured by her straining ears.

Clark was trying to arrange the puzzle pieces and form a clear picture. It seemed like she was pitching a team she had assembled. A special task force of sorts that she promised had the ability to instantly resolve the men's 'problems'. Then the conversation swung in the direction of demonstrations, but terms, locations, and dates were not mentioned. Then the meeting broke up, everyone heading in opposite directions.

"I think it's over. I can't hear anything anymore," Lois whispered, spinning on her heals to face Clark. Clark gulped. He could feel how close she was to him even if he couldn't see her.

"Yeah." She felt his breath ruffle her bangs and her darkness tuned senses awoke, ravenous to take the slightest breeze or tiniest touch and race its electric sensation straight to her spine at mach speed. "I'm pretty sure that those goons are still loo-" His words died in his throat as she shifted, her nose brushing his chin. His head dropped down at the shock and exhilaration her movement stimulated. All the concerns he had about Tess and her plans melted away, and all the fears he was racked with over Lois' well being evaporated as all he could think about was how close her mouth was to his. All it would take was one little move...

Lois was tired of being teased. It was painfully obvious he wanted to kiss her as badly as she did him, his short bursts of breath tickling her mouth. The fear the situation had built in them only made the pull between them tighten, the 'what if's' overpowering the 'we really shouldn'ts'. What if they got caught and the worst happened? There was only so much one woman could take. Her hand buried itself in the hair at the base of his skull. She pulled down, needing only to apply the slightest of pressure to convince him to heed her direction, and rose to meet his descending mouth.

Their lips met and brushed gently together as each tried to feel the other out, unable to gauge their partner's reaction visually. An electric storm was feeding and threatening to burst with each soft stroke they indulged in, the darkness serving to focus their attention and sensitivity all the more acutely on the nearly overwhelming power of their connection.

Clark had to touch her. One arm wrapped around Lois, crushing her to his chest and stoking the small of her back with a thumb as his lips maintained their deliberate pace, amorously teasing her full lips and being teased in return. The other hand settled on her neck, caressing behind her ear and repositioning her head to allow him better access to her exquisite mouth. She moaned and he swallowed it with a shiver amongst her kisses sure he had never experienced anything this potent in his entire life. Thoughts came and went unacknowledged and unheeded; their heads too full of the misty passion they were sharing.

Lois slipped her free hand down his torso, unbuttoning his jacket as their lips continued their gentle dual. It snaked inside, lightly stroking his sensitive sides and exploring the muscles adorning him. He felt like he had been carved from marble by some ancient Grecian sculptor while conversely, at the same time, had an angled softness about him. Heart pounding, the tight hot knot in her stomach fed off each touch, demanding more, always more. Her fingers found the cut line dividing his abs and traced it till his black cummerbund impeded further progress. Clark claimed her bottom lip, sucking and tasting her as her hand slipped under the black road block and sliced between the buttons of his shirt, releasing one in the process. Her curious fingers found creamy taught skin enshrouding his rippling muscles and delved deeper into the fissure between his crisp shirt and hot flesh. They ran along the cloth barrier where his shirt disappeared into his slacks. The tender ticklish flesh jumped and rippled in reaction to the feather like aspect the pads of her fingers could have been mistaken for. She hummed into his mouth, appreciating his body, sure in the knowledge that she could leisurely explore and discover it all night, if given the chance.

Their lips moved more aggressively against each other as the heat of the moment built their need. Clark took her lower lip between his teeth, nibbling reverently and sucking away the imaginary marks. She moaned and pulled away, taking several sharp breaths before diving back in to continue their kiss – taking control immediately. She attacked his mouth, pulling his head down harder and eagerly running her tongue between his lips. He accommodated her request quickly with a satisfied groan and soon their tongues were dancing and sensually exploring each other. It was his turn to moan loudly as her teeth drug across his lips and pushed his control near breaking.

"God Lois," he grunted, breathlessly, breaking their lips connections as her fingers found his hardened nipple and circled it experimentally. They panted against each other and he laid his forehead against hers, trying to remember the reason they were in this ink black ramshackle room to begin with.

The darkness was pierced by a sudden and blinding light. Lois and Clark looked up, startled and dazed, shielding their night accustomed eyes and trying to make out the figure filling the doorway.

"I knew I heard something, Sergei. I have found our two elusive little tavsans." His laughter held a tinge of mania in it. "You are mine now," the gun wielding thug informed them.

~*~

A/N: Okay, so there it is. Hope it was worth the wait. I wasn't going to write the kiss at all, but I thought I might have an angry mob after me if I didn't. Then, I was going to have it be just a brush like the pool, but I figured the mob's numbers would double if I did that lol. I finally decided on this because I liked the idea of it being dark for some reason.

Always love to hear what you think ;D…


	7. Chapter 5 C

Long overdue, so I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 5C:

A solitary drop of sweat slowly snaked between Lois' shoulder blades, leaving a nervous itch burning a twisting tail down her torso. She rolled her shoulders in discomfort, her movement being severely limited by the thick duct tape binding her wrists securely behind her back. She risked a guarded glance over the ridge of her left shoulder, eyeing the pistol wielding men who were forcibly directing Clark and herself through the bleak halls at a brisk pace. The larger of the two strode purposefully behind Clark and bared his crooked teeth in an ugly sneer when he caught her eyeing him surreptitiously. He turned to his conspirator and spoke a string of words in a language she didn't recognize; the two laughed harshly before licking their lips in a gesture of unkind hunger. She returned her stare straight ahead and took three deep calming breaths.

Their trek through the underground maze left her completely disoriented and in a mere matter of minutes she could hardly tell up from down any longer. "Where are we going," Lois asked in a manner she prayed came off confident and commanding; though a slight tremor managed to shake her voice despite her best efforts to suppress the fear boiling up from the pit of her stomach. She would be damned if she let these lowlifes think they had her cowed. "What do you bastards want from us!"

"Quiet!" a gruff voice yelled back menacingly. She couldn't tell which had issued the command, instead of caring, she rallied her courage to give whichever it was a venom filled earful. The carefully planned verbal attack died on her lips as she was shoved through a doorway off to her left. Unprepared for the brutes manhandling, she stumbled into the room, feet catching on something which sent her tumbling heavily to the ground, letting out a surprised grunt as she lost control of her body. She twisted to the side on the way to the floor, blunting the impact on her shoulder - preventing her head from colliding with the unforgiving surface below. She heard Clark land beside her with a thud as his back connected with the hard concrete.

Worry once again flared unbidden in her chest. The mammoth man previously guarding Clark stood over her prostrate form. The gun gripped firmly in his meaty paw lifted her chin to meet cold eyes. Her body shook of its own volition at the seedy glimpse of darkness in their expanse that the man didn't waste his energy concealing with false niceties. The gloom they radiated whispered to her of her own fragile mortality and he glowered down at her, imprinting her with the sure knowledge of who was in control.

"I'll be back for you little tavsan later. I suggest you enjoy the time you have, while you have it..." His short speech tapered off into a harsh laugh that preceded the slamming of their makeshift cell door. The metallic report of a heavy lock sliding shut and the sharp footsteps of a solitary figure moving off into the distance assaulted the eerie silence and reinforced the threatening atmosphere. They listened to the click of his heels echoing off bare concrete walls as he strode away. It seemed that they were not to be left to their own devices, a guard outside deemed necessary.

Lois pushed herself off the ground and angled into a sitting position, leaning heavily against the wall, ignoring the cold as it seeped into the tensed muscles of her back and arms. The strain of the last hour had taken its toll and she struggled to overcome the sensation of bleak numbness that threatened to consume her. They had really stepped in it this time and she wasn't sure how to escape trouble's clutches. She wondered absently why they hadn't already met their fate courtesy of a 9mm bullet. These characters hadn't held back firing at them earlier, so what held their hand now? The thought nourished a burgeoning hope of escaping with her life that her better sense wouldn't dare allow her to embrace too fully. The cold look in the men's eyes spoke of an all too familiar acquaintance with death...and killing. Maybe they were just toying with them, letting them sit around to dread about the prospect of dying. Sadistic bastards.

Lois knew this wasn't good. There were at least five of them confirmed, though they hadn't seen any other suits since the two most recent ones caught up with them in the maintenance closet. It seemed like too much for her to hope that everyone else was gone. Regardless, they were all armed and their intensions were hostile at the very best. Oh, plus she and Clark were tied up, helpless.

"Are you okay?" Clark's voice was filled with concern. His shoulder brushed hers gently drawing her eyes to the heartfelt concern filling his. The look of worry was etched deeply in the grooves of his drawn brow and she discerned a large body of guilt battling concern for dominance in the blue orbs that held her gaze fast.

"Yes," Lois stated simply, but her shoulders suggested otherwise as she flexed and stretched, trying to relieve her cramped muscles. The force of falling directly on the right one left a throbbing pain that she had no doubt would sport a bruise by morning. "You?" Her eyes followed the line of her query, taking him in from head to toe in search of any malady, but other than disheveled hair - which she may or may not have been responsible for, she wouldn't say - jacket sitting askew on his shoulders, and several shirt buttons gapping open, everything seemed to be as it should. Clark appraised her health just as intently before surprising her with a chaste kiss on her battered right arm.

Silence swept over the room, neither occupant sure what to say about the bleak position they were in; each desperately trying to devise a way to get out of it safely, though their possible methods were as similar as night and day. They sat there for what seemed like an eternity but in reality was only a minute or two, exchanging wordless expressions of worry, concern, and fear. In an attempt to distract herself, Lois finally looked away from him and took in the room. It wasn't very large, maybe ten by ten, she noted. Her eyes skimmed along the stark brick walls and she squinted in the dim lighting. Several of the florescent bulbs above sat dark and lifeless. The few who clung to functionality, thoroughly coated in dust, bathed the room in a tepid stream of light, and the bulb directly overhead flickered on and off, emitting an eclectic buzz with each ignition and subsequent dimming.

She examined the one entrance, hope for escape, and gateway to the enemy. Her eyes finally fell to the base of the archway. She let out a harsh gasp. "Oh my god, Clark." She turned sharply, burying her face in his shoulder, telling herself - wishful - that her eyes deceived her or what she had just found was an unhappy illusion brought on by stress.

"What? What is it?" His questions went unanswered and he was forced to scan the room, searching for the source of her sudden upset for himself.

"The door. By the door," her mumbled words came out muffled against his chest.

His attention flicked to the door. A dark bump in the rough shape of a man lay stretched facing away from them on the floor, his legs partially blocking the door. Clark tuned his hearing, searching for a pulse or the rush of air signifying breathing, but all he heard was his and Lois' elevated heart rates and disjointed breaths. The matter was settled when he looked harder and saw a midnight slick pooling out from the unfortunate soul's chest.

Her head rose off his shoulder and she braved another appraisal of the motionless figure. "Is he..." Her question trailed off, unable to voice it. That would make it all too real and support the notion that it was only a matter of time until the worst she had been fearing came to fruition. She looked to Clark for an answer and saw his face turn from concern to determination, from guilt to anger.

Clark nodded, "Yes. I think so."

She groaned but turned back to him frantically as if she had just remembered something important. "You little ear com…thingie. Call Vinny. Where is your ear com," she repeated again. Lois nudged him aside so that she could quickly search both his ears for the precious little piece of technology. His sheepish eyes and sudden case of tongue tie froze her instantly. This couldn't be good. The icy fingers of dread slithered up her spine, turning her cold and un-optimistically apprehensive. "What?"

He cleared his throat roughly before he began. "I kind of lost it," he admitted quietly, avoiding her eyes with determination.

She just stared at him for fifteen solid seconds and finally managed, "I'm sorry. My hearing must be off. I thought you just said you lost it, which just can't be because, well, that little piece of plastic is pretty much our lifeline out of here." He remained silent and frozen, a serious tilt to his brow. Her head hit the wall behind her and she stared despondently at the ceiling. The last dregs of her hope flickered weakly before extinguishing in a rush. If she were able, she would be massaging the headache building at her temple. "How the hell did you lose it?"

"My attention was . . . elsewhere." His lame duck response flared her anger.

"Elsewhere? Elsewhere! Our only link to help, and your attention was elsewhere. That's rich, Clark. Where was it, mentally cataloging each and every plaid shirt in your closet?" When in doubt go on the offensive. It was better that wallowing, she supposed. At least a fight would give her something to do other than obsess.

He rolled his eyes at her prodding, annoyance peaking through his guilt. "No! Come on, Lois-"

"I'm sorry, I'm just curious what was so important tonight that you decided you didn't need to keep track of that little piece of gold. I mean if you're going to play at Bond at least try to hold onto your toys. You never see him in need of the ole laser watch, but oops, his attention slipped and he forgot to put it on that morning." She huffed and pinned him with an irritated stare, waiting for a better explanation.

He searched her hazel depths and smiled softly at her, eyes sweeping over her face and tracing her lips. "You."

"What?"

"My attention was on you." His chin dropped to his chest and he refused to face her.

Her eyes widened comically and her throat bobbed as her throat tightened on her, the memory of their heated exchange more than fresh in her mind. "Ah," she whispered, the fight draining from her instantly.

A defeated huff of air escaped Lois and her head returned to his shoulder. "We're going to die. I don't want to die. I still have many a Kerth to win, not to mention a Pulitzer." She rambled on jumping from reason to reason why death was unwanted but seemingly inevitable and all the things she had left to do. "I mean what are the odds, Clark. The same night you decide to kiss me we meet our end. Kinda brings the saying 'you'll be the death of me' into a whole new prospective. And also-"

Clark tried to cut her off, gently saying her name, "Lois." She ignored him, so he added a little volume to the interjection. "Lois." Her tirade continued at full strength. "LOIS!" He practically yelled. Her mouth snapped shut and she looked up at him in shock.

"What the hell, Clark, no need to yell at me. I'm like two inches from you," she reprimanded with a parental frown.

He sighed heavily, but refrained from taking the bait she dangled out to him and dissolving into another argument. Once he was calm he said, "Lois, everything is going to be okay. We're going to get out of this. You're going to do all those things. Well, I don't know about singing a duet with David Coverdale in Times Square on New Years Eve; that seems like a bit of a stretch, but I suppose anything is possible." He smiled reassuringly at her, nodded his head in agreement with his own assertion and conveyed confidence with his eyes.

"Get real, Clark. We're practically hogtied in a locked room guarded by armed men who have all but said they're just waiting to kill us, for what I have no clue, and something else...hmm what could it be," she asked the air sarcastically before motioning with her head repeatedly towards the other person in the room. "There's a dead body not eight feet away, showcasing in Technicolor just what we have to look forward to. So, we might as well just say our peace in anticipation of the bright white light." She knew she wasn't at her most rational, but the dead body on top of everything else that evening had frayed her nerves to snapping. She had been in scrapes and this was gearing up to be one of the worst yet.

"The Lois I know doesn't give up so easily. Where's the fight, Lane?"

"I never said I wasn't going to fight, Clark," she snapped back, affronted by his implication. "I'm just being real about the odds. Who knows, perhaps we'll take a few of the scum with us."

Clark was silent as he gathered himself, wanting the right words to allay her fear, needing the right words. She beat him to the pass. "This is all you fault you know," she accused, switching gears so fast he was concerned he might develop mental whiplash.

"What! How is this my fault? I begged you to go back upstairs and you flatly refused. In fact, you gave me all of two options: take you with me or tie you up. Well, now you have gotten both, I took you with me only to get us both tied up," he exclaimed, ending with an impassioned harrumph.

"Well what did you want me to do, let you wonder around alone down here to be shot up by these maniacs? And that's not what I was referring to, I'm well aware that I refused to go back to the party…and I would do it again if given the chance," she finished so softly Clark barely heard the confession. She almost smiled, arguing with him always made her feel better, getting him all worked up never got old.

"This ought to be good. Do tell how else this could possibly be blamed on me." His brow rose brazenly in challenge, completely confident in his innocence, egging her for her best shot.

"If you hadn't been distracting me in that closet, then I would have heard the guy coming and gotten the drop on him." She said it so matter-of-fact, as though he should have known all along because nothing in the world could be more obvious. His jaw dropped at her duh attitude, especially considering the part she had played in her own 'distraction'. The side of him that only Lois could bring to life jumped at her challenge and his back straightened ready to engage her in yet another sparring session of words.

"Actually, I believe you have this whole thing backwards. You were most definitely the distracter or I would have had no trouble taking down that guy," he said, adding a cocky sniff.

"I most certainly was not!" Lois didn't like his smirk, nope not one bit.

"Maybe you can refresh my memory as to who kissed whom." Clark soon realized that Lois was using this 'discussion' as a means to distract herself. A very odd and uniquely Lois way to calmly face the situation - sort of a funky anti-yoga.

She squinted at him like a cat eyeing a cornered mouse. "Excuse me, but I believe you did your fare share of kissing. Besides you practically climbed on top of me to hear Tess. Seriously Smallville, it's not my fault you can't keep your hands off of me."

"My hands! Ha. I'm surprised I still have my shirt." He backed that up with a heated stare down at the buttons gaping open. There they sat, taunting her, exposing his taunt stomach as he twisted towards her, and she felt her ire rise at the hapless inanimate objects. This was ridiculous, now she was getting mad at buttons. Clark was addling her brain.

"Whatever. It doesn't really matter now, I suppose. Brutus is going to come back in here and pull a Grim Reaper on us in a few minutes regardless." Her tone turned serious. She didn't see a good way out of this, but she could at least go down fighting, she decided. Her fingers clawed at her bindings, searching for a weakness or a notch to work on and free herself. She would have much more of a chance with the use of her hands.

Just as quickly as she dropped the bickering, so did he. She shivered slightly, feeling Clark's breath tickle her neck, his face scant inches from her ear. "I won't let anything happen to you, Lois. I promise we're going to get out of here, one way or another. If we stick together, we'll be okay." His words were low and ominous in their confidence and sincerity. Against all odds, she found herself believing him. She certainly wanted it to be true. There was something laying barely hidden in his voice and eyes. A confidence that could only be born from the sure knowledge that he spoke truly. But considering the circumstances she didn't see how such assurance was possible.

Lois turned to capture his eyes and swallowed thickly at his proximity. Before she knew it, she had slipped into his deep blue pools and lost herself in the affection shining through the steel confidence. Her mind drifted away from if they would be saved and seemed to settle on what she would do once they were away from all this. The way he looked at her, the surety of his voice, and the searing memory of a kiss emboldened her. Without thinking, she narrowed the small gap between them and brushed a kiss across his full lips, a mere whisper of the feelings that had been distilled down to their bare essence during this experience. The whole experience, she realized, starting from when he had stepped into that pub and betrayed hints of jealously towards her.

She pulled back to observe him again. His lips relaxed and opened almost as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Dark eyes searched her face before settling on her lips, his intentions clear. She felt a jolt deep within herself at his hazy scrutiny of her. His clear appreciation for what he saw only made her want him closer even more deeply. She wished for nothing more than to have her hands free so she could pull him urgently to her, his strong presence relieving a measure of her tension.

Her right side sat flush to his left. She turned her body towards him and was met halfway as he placed another wisp of a kiss on her lips, not pulling away when she whispered, "You seem quite sure about getting out of here minus the body bag. How do you suggest we make our great escape?" She kissed the side of his mouth, giving him space to answer but taking additional strength from their connection. Justifying continuing because he could still talk and plan...his mouth was free - it wasn't hurting anything, after all.

"I am sure." That confidence was there stronger than ever. "How could I let anything happen to that smart mouth of yours?" His voice was deep and contained a roughened quality to it.

She chuckled lightly. "You could say many different things about my mouth..." her lips captured his top lip and smiled at the pleased hum stuck in his throat. "...I guess I'll accept smart...for now."

Clark returned her smile and pressed closer to deepen the soft, wispy kisses she insisted on limiting them to, but she smoothly moved back, thwarting his efforts. Her eyes danced with mischief and simmering warmth. She tisked softly in reproof and moved to softly explore his jaw inching steadily towards his ear. He swallowed thickly.

"What's the plan, Clark?" She knew she should be focusing completely on the problem at hand, the situation was dire, but found she couldn't keep her hands - well lips - off of him. Besides, she was nothing if not an accomplished multi-tasker. She was drawn to him, and he seemed to be pulled under by the same magnetic force. Kissing him sent shivers and tingles through her body, warming her stomach and driving her for more. His aftershave flooded her senses and she idly marveled at how he was able to break through her senses, better judgment, and rational reasoning so effortlessly.

"Plan...well the plan is..." he trailed off grumbling, growling and cursing the inventor of duct tape as his mouth moved along her cheek, taking her lead and matching her pace. Lois couldn't suppress a smile at his impatience to get to more of her, but her penchant for running her mouth, even at moments such as this, bubbled to the surface.

"Well...you know what they say about duct tape, right?" She purred into his ear before running her tongue along the shell, beginning to recognize a few potential advantages to their current arrangement-restrictions. She rose to her knees, he followed wordlessly, shifting until they knelt facing each other, never breaking contact.

"Nnn uuh," he grunted with half a mind, laying a moist kiss at the juncture of her jaw and neck.

Her pulse quickened and pounded harder in her ears as he laved her neck with hot kisses. She returned her attention to his ear and gently drug her teeth across the lobe before continuing, soaking in his gasp of surprised pleasure. "If you can't duct it, fu- mmmh uhh." Her words were lost in a harsh whimper as his found and ardently awoke the tender spot behind her ear that always drove her wild. He exhaled roughly, his hot breath stroking her neck intimately as it escaped him.

She forgot to breath for a few seconds, frozen under his lips. He mumbled mindlessly into her flesh. "Mmm...Lois...you smell like...smell like strawberries...g-g...god I love strawberries."

She pulled away, needing to see him, look into his eyes, take him in, to confirm this all was real. His eyes held the same hazy aspect she knew had to be reflected in her own - open hunger, desire, and a depth of caring she didn't dare pause to label. His rough intakes of air matched hers, coming in irregular bursts.

"If I have to die, this isn't a bad way to go, I guess," she remarked lightly, appreciating how sexy the light tint of excitement coloring his cheeks and neck made him.

"Sign me up," he agreed, practically ravaging her with the heat in his eyes.

They moved as one, lips crashing together, Lois finally allowing their link to deepen, his plan for escape forgotten. His eager tongue begged entrance to the sweet recesses of her mouth which she granted after only a few moments of his continued pursuit. She listened as he called out to an unknown deity, announcing he couldn't take anymore - all that followed by a sharp ripping noise.

"We have to stop meeting like this," a humorless voice quipped from the doorway.

With lightening speed they pulled apart. Lois looking at her captor with defiance, burying her fear in a determination to survive whatever they could dish out. Clark just looked angry and a mantle of menace settled over him the likes of which Lois couldn't ever recall seeing him don - the closest example she could bring to mind happened years earlier when he had swaggered into the cage with her in that underground fight club.

The man Lois had so recently coined Brutus and a friend entered the small space with leering smiles while the third stayed outside the door, watchful. Clark had already made the decision that he didn't care who saw him use his abilities, nothing was going to hurt Lois. He recognized the second man as the guy who had unsuccessfully tried to stop him in the stairwell and gotten a sore head for his trouble. He didn't look pleased, revenge glimmering in his eyes, malice bunching the heavy muscles of his arms and shoulders.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Brutus informed them. Lois rolled her eyes at the cliché. "We want to know who you are working for. Who are you? CIA? FBI? Don't tell me you're cops. You had best make it easy on yourselves and give us what we want. I'm not sure how long I can restrain Berker from, how you say...tenderizing your flesh." He laughed cruelly and Berker took an aggressive step towards the kneeling couple. Clark moved on his knees to come between the approaching hulk and Lois.

She chose that moment to speak up. "People know we are here. They'll be here any minute. You will never get away with this." Her chin jutted out defiantly. She let out a surprised yelp when Brutus moved with eye bending quickness and snatched her up by the arm, dragging her away from Clark and pulling his gun out to rest ominously against her temple.

"Really, tavsan, do tell me all about these people coming to your aid...all about them," he growled in her ear. Clark was furious. He moved to stand, but found himself sprawled on his back courtesy of Berker's knee as it connected harshly with the underside of his jaw - a sharp crack echoed off the walls. His restraint was slipping, the longer they held Lois at gun point the more these characters had to worry about him 'tenderizing their flesh'.

"Clark!" Lois yelled out, struggling with all her might against the iron arms holding her back and desperately trying to reach him, concern for her own safety all but forgotten. This wasn't good. She had to help him. Clark rose once more to his knees. Berker stood over him and delivered two solid blows directly to his jaw, obviously relishing his task and performing it with practiced precision. Clark's head snapped first this way and then that under the heavy fists. He looked up at the man with a sneer, shuffling forward on his knees. He licked the corner of his mouth, looking wholly unimpressed, and glared up at his attacker.

"Is that really all you've got? You're nothing but a little girl playing at being some sort of mob muscle. Maybe you should go get that other fella outside, maybe he actually has a pair," he taunted, ratcheting up the cockiness, pushing out his jaw as if to offer an easier target. Lois stared in disbelief. What in heavens name was Clark doing? Did he want to die? Berker's eyes flashed with rage and he looked back at Brutus, his clear superior, for instruction - or maybe permission.

"If you wish this information beaten out of you, you're in luck. Berker is most certainly the perfect man for the occasion." He motioned with his pistol, giving the go ahead. Berker turned back to Clark and licked his lips in anticipation. Stepping closer once again, he punched Clark solidly three more times. Clark laughed...actually laughed at the big man. Lois was as confused as her two captures. Had he lost it? Maybe he had a concussion and couldn't think clearly. Lois' heart clenched, and it was almost as though she could feel each blow that rained down on him.  
"Berker," he spit the name out derisively. "I know there is a Ball going on upstairs, but it seems you've forgotten your dress. I'm sure, if you ask nicely, Lois would be willing to help you find something pretty."

The prominent vain in Berker forehead pulsed visibly and his neck muscles tightened painfully in anger. He reared back his corded arm and put his entire body behind his next swing. Clark smiled victoriously and steeled his jaw. The fist made solid contact and Clark held firm, no longer turning his head to cushion the blow. A loud crunch and yell pierced the air. Berker stumbled back several steps cradling his mangled hand against his chest protectively.

Lois felt Brutus take in a surprised hiss of air, his grip loosening minutely. Her desire to help Clark, not to mention to free herself, raged in her and she moved on instinct. Springing into action, she rewarded his slip in concentration by bringing her heel down mercilessly on his foot. He grunted and her cage slackened further, allowing her to spin and face him, delivering a sharp knee to his groin quick as a viper. All the air in his body seem to rush out of him in a loud whoosh and the gun clattered to the floor as his hands flashed to protect himself. The arms around her dropped away as he doubled over in pain. She heard bodies crash against the wall and turned to find Clark barreling into Berker. She finished Brutus off with a knee to his exposed temple. He dropped limply like a sack of potatoes, instantly unconscious.

She ran over to Clark who stood staring angrily down at an equally unconscious Berker. "Oh my god, Clark! What the hell were you thinking? Are you okay?" Her concern left her heart racing out of control.

His bright smile threatened to melt her heart. "As long as you are." Her lungs screamed for air and she realized she wasn't breathing in her rush to look him over. God he had scarred her, but he didn't look hurt. How was that possible? Not a lot was making sense tonight.

Just when safety had at last seemed to be attained, the door was thrown open, goon number three having been alerted by their less than quiet altercation. The meager light glinted off the gun aimed directly at Lois and time seemed to slow and nearly stop all around her. It was as though she could see the man's finger sluggishly suppressing the trigger millimeter by excruciating millimeter. She froze like a deer caught in the headlights, expecting her life to flash before her eyes, but to her surprise all she could think was how much she longed to feel Clark's lips covering hers at least once more before she died. She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.

The bullet never came. One moment Clark was standing right beside her and the next he was dangling the gun and its wielder off the floor effortlessly with a single arm. A solitary punch sent his adversary into the silent blackness that resided the other side of consciousness, and Clark laid him in a disorganized pile on the floor. How had he freed his hands, she wondered, mind numb from the heart pounding fiasco the whole evening had dissolved into; thinking out rational answers that made sense was beyond impossible - happiness at simply being alive overwhelmed all. She was going to suffer an aneurism if these scrapes with death and danger she constantly found herself mired in didn't ease up. But on the other hand, talk about an adrenaline rush. There wasn't anything quite like having a gun held to your head, now was there.

She absently submitted her hands to Clark as he came around her and gently began working on the tape to free her. She felt the last of it pull away and flexed her sore arms, rubbing her wrists experimentally. She was a little sore, but had avoided any serious injury: no broken bones, concussions or blood. That had to go down as a victory in the Lois Lane book of being abducted. She had certainly had worse. It made her wonder all over again how, against all odds, things had possibly played out in their favor.

"Stay here," Clark told her gently. He slipped into the hallway and thoroughly scanned all around in search of any other people, crouched in a ready position as he picked up on the heavy pounding of two sets of feet coming towards them and coming fast. Lois tried to follow him out the door to have a look for herself. He protectively shot out his arm and forced her back behind him. "Two more are headed this way. Be careful, Lois. Stay behind me."

Her balled fists aggressively pressed into her hips and her brows drew into a displeased grimace. "How the hell do you know that? Are you telekinetic now? And I believe the last five minutes have proven that I can take care of myself and certainly hold my own, thank you very much. If there are two, then they're going to encounter even odds. We didn't go through all of that just to lose now because you feel some male draw to protect little Lois. Get that ego in check, Smallville."

He glanced back at her exasperated and shot her a 'stay back' look. "For once, please, just listen to me." The grimace remained firmly in place. He sighed and turned back to the hall just as the two figures came jogging around a far bend heading in their general direction. They seemed to be searching for something and hadn't spotted Lois and Clark yet. He pushed Lois further into the room, to her great disapproval, and as he was ducking in himself to stay out of sight he caught a few words exchanged by the duo. He smiled and sighed in relief. Oliver and Victor. The proverbial cavalry had arrived.

Clark whistled shrilly. The two men's heads snapped to him and he waved them over. At Lois' astounded look he smiled and ran his hand through his hair.

"It's Oliver and Victor."

She nodded and sighed in relief, her shoulder's un-bunching as tension drained from her. Clark began frisking the unconscious men. "What are you doing?"

He looked up from his bent position, hand buried in Brutus' coat jacket. "Returning the favor." He pulled out his hand and waved a roll of grey tape in front of her. By the time Oliver and Victor moved into the room Clark had the three men bound tight.

"Clark!" Oliver bounded over to them. "Are you two okay? We came as soon as we could. After we lost radio contact, Victor worked tirelessly and finally picked up two armed guards moving towards this section of the building on one of the very few cameras located on the parameter. We weren't sure exactly where to find you, but we finally had a place to start looking. But, I see you two have things under control." His gaze swept over the disabled men.

"We're fine, Oliver. Thanks for the concern. We should make a sweep to ensure these three don't have any friends lurking about, and then you might consider transferring them somewhere more secure to answer a few questions." Oliver was nodding along and Clark felt Lois' finger tips running experimentally along his jaw. Her face showed confusion as she tried to puzzle out how it was possible he didn't have a mark on him.

"I already have Bart working on that. I called him in from...another asignment when you two went missing. But so far he reports an all clear. It seems as though these were the only ones left behind. I assume to deal with you. You're going to have to explain how this mess happened." He gave Clark a meaning filled look. Clark nodded and noticed that Lois was still looking at him with a mixture of awe, concern, and disbelief.

"Later Ollie. I'm fine Lois…really." He placed his hand over hers, stoking the back with his thumb.

"So it seems." Her voice was quiet, but like quicksilver her eyes ignited and her hand flew free of his and delivered a well aimed slap directly to the cheek she had just so closely examined. Clark's jaw dropped open, utterly shocked.

"L-Lois!? What was that for?" He rubbed his cheek, flashing injured eyes.

"I don't know, hopefully it will knock some sense into that dense skull of yours. What were you thinking pushing Berker that way?" She pulled his hand away from his face. "Stop that! Him beating on you, you took like a gentle breeze was caressing your face; so, don't try and act like that hurt."

Victor and Oliver turned away, suddenly fixated on the row of men against the wall, biting the inside of their cheeks to keep their smiles at bay.

"It looked worse that it was," he pouted.

She nodded slowly in sly acceptance of his answer. Then she walked over to Berker and picked up his taped hands, quietly examining the broken knuckles on his right fist. Once again with the slow nod, she straightened and without a look back to Clark said, "I need some air. You boys can clean up here I assume." Not waiting for an answer, she swept out of the room.

"Lois!" Clark started to chase after her, but found a serious Oliver Queen in his path.

He put a hand on Clark's chest. "Leave her Clark. Bart has the area cleared and the Ball upstairs is well guarded by my security. That's why the meeting was down here in the first place. She'll be safe and, knowing Lois like I do, she needs a moment alone to think and clear her head. Besides, I could really use some answers."

Clark deflated under his hand, but agreed silently.

"I know what happened up until the com blackout. What went wrong and how did we end up here?" Oliver crossed his arms, waiting for answers while Victor started removing the men from the room. Clark gave a report of everything that had happened, leaving out no detail of Tess' meeting. His story did, however, contain clever editing when it came to his and Lois' interactions and how exactly they became 'distracted'. Ollie scrunched his eyes on several occasions, catching glitches in the flow of Clark's tale. He let it pass without comment deciding he could grill him on all the finer details later if the need arose.

When Clark quieted Oliver simply said, "I see. Well, I'm glad you're both okay. I'm worried what Tess might be up to, but it's getting late and there's not really anything we can do for now. Lois has probably had time to cool down. Once you find her meet me at the front and I'll take you back to the hotel. I'm sure you both have had enough for one night."

Clark balked at the notion of facing down a curios and most likely upset Lois. Oliver just laughed and pushed him towards the door with a final, "Good luck."

~*~

Clark searched for five long minutes all throughout the banquet room with no luck. He was getting seriously worried. Knowing her, she had managed to piss off some dirty businessman in the twenty-five minutes she was away from him and even now was once again tied up being threatened or attacked by Berker's evil twin. He pushed down his fear, telling himself that he was being irrational and she was fine. She was probably just in the bathroom…or outside. Outside. How could he have forgotten to look there? A huge boardwalk patio extended over the rocky crashing break of the ocean.

Clark pushed his way through the crowd gently but with distinct urgency. He accidently bumped into a middle aged woman of larger carriage. She turned her gem encrusted neck towards him with a scowl and opened her mouth to scathe him with a sharp comment when she caught sight of her assaulter. Clark stumbled over himself in an apology that the woman completely missed, frown turning into a goofy grin, eyes traveling up and down him. She smoothed her hair and informed him that it was no trouble at all. He turned away confused and continued outside with a deliberate shake of his head.

The night air was cool but not uncomfortable. A light breeze dislodged the soft curls on his forehead, rustling to cover his brow. Light spilled out of a line of windows and the doorway along the broad open air porch. A full moon bathed the ocean and rocky outcrops in a gentle light. Several people milled around the area, speaking softly in small groups and intimate couples. He didn't see her at first, but a misty cloud drifted away from the moon, brightly illuminating the night as it went, and then there she was, leaning on the railing, looking introspectively out across the inky sea. Moonlight shone off her dark hair and played across her shoulder and down her back. Clark paused to appreciate the sight of her unguarded for a few moments before finally approaching her.

His hands rested on the waist high rail, clenching and relaxing as he tried to pull himself together. She kept her focus straight ahead, ignoring his arrival, but he caught a tensing of her shoulders.

"It's beautiful tonight," he tried experimentally, low timbre competing with crash and spray of water hitting rocky outcropping.

Teeth worrying her bottom lip, she nodded almost imperceptivity and gave a short, "Mmhmm."

She seemed so closed off. He couldn't tell what she was thinking and her defenses were on red alert. He touched her elbow and turned her to face him. "Lois, are you okay? I know tonight wasn't exactly the relaxing carefree vacation that it was billed to be. If you want to talk, you know I'm always here." He stroked his hand slowly from elbow to shoulder and back. She barked out a laugh. He was confused by her reaction, and looked at her funny. "What?"

She shook her head with a rueful smile. "It's just so typical, no matter where I am or what I'm doing." His confusion urged her to explain. "Okay, it's like this, Clark. The night starts off normal, check. My reporter's nose catches signs of something squirming underneath the surface of the seemingly pleasant function, check. I brazenly throw myself into uncovering the truth, check. The baddies decide they don't particularly like my interference and grab me, check. Get ruffed up, held at gunpoint, worked over, or almost drowned, check. Some improbable or miraculous escape that more often than not is unexplainable, check. It's becoming so common place I could write a book." She sighed and looked deeply into his eyes. He shifted uncomfortably under her piercing investigation of the portals to his soul. He felt bare under the intensity radiating off her.

"So, what are you saying? You're desensitized?" Clark swallowed thickly.

"No. I don't think I'll ever get used to my life being threatened. It's the unexplained that keeps bothering me."

He took her hand. "There is no mystery this time. We stuck together like I said we would and everything turned out well. I knew we could get out of there."

She looked at him incredulously. "That's it? It just turned out in our favor?" He nodded demurely, not chancing putting words to his assertion. "I don't think so. I mean seriously, how is it that three big, tough, mean, gun toting thugs are counting sheep, while we're here appreciating the full moon?"

"They were cocky and underestimated us. I mean, you made mincemeat of the ringleader." He could tell she wasn't buying what he had for sale. Her confident rebuttal of his arguments made him worry what she might know or think she knew.

"Please, spare me the flattery. Things just don't make sense."

He dropped her hand and sighed deeply. How much easier would his life be if he just came clean and told her everything? He wanted to. He had wanted to for so long. But, he had also decided long ago that he could not, would not, do that to her. Put her so blatantly in danger by becoming a guardian of his secret and thus a target for his many enemies. She may be confused and frustrated by things not making one hundred percent sense, but it was better than the alternative, right? _Right_. He growled mentally. What a mess, his head and heart at war.

"What doesn't make sense?" He realized he probably should have just kept his mouth shut as soon as the question left his lips.

"Other than everything I've already pointed out," her hand came up to cover his heart and she looked through him with open expectation, "how did you get your hands free, Clark?"

His instinct was to take a step back from her probing eyes. She was so open, expectantly waiting for the truth. The moon illuminated one side of her face, casting the other in mystery etched shadow. The green in her searching eyes seemed to glow, fed by the luminescent rays. His resolve wavered and doubt once again swamped his carefully formed reasons for continued subterfuge. Stubbornly, he straightened his back and chuckled nervously.

"I-I was working myself free while everyone was distracted. I managed to find the end of the tape and carefully lifted it until I could unwind it. I had to keep them distracted long enough to free myself. That's why I taunted them, keeping their attention off of my hands." That was believable enough, he thought.

Her face fell in disappointment, but seconds later she schooled her features and a mask of indifference slid and locked into place. Her hand fell from his chest and she turned back to the ocean.

"I guess you had everything figured out. How lucky for us," she deadpanned.

His heart went out to her and the disappointment he had not missed cut him deeply. It was far worse than any anger she could confront him with.

"Lois." He pleaded forgiveness, only able to beckon her name.

She turned back, emotionless, a blank slate. "We should go. I'm sure Oliver is wondering where we disappeared to." She turned on her heal and moved away. He stared at the floor, angry and frustrated with himself. His hand rose to stop her, but he pulled it back at the last second, instead runnning both hands through his thick hair and sighing heavily. Head bowed and shoulders slumped, he trailed after her, strongly resembling a kicked puppy.

~*~

Lois sat beside Oliver, which had the unintended side effect of leaving her open to stare at Clark who perched his long limbs on the bench running length wise down the limo. She was overrun with the entire spectrum of emotions. She was mad. No, not mad, at least not anymore. At first she had been fairly livid, but once she had the opportunity to calm herself and think clearly about everything she was shocked by the realizations she came to, one after another, each more ground shaking than the last.

She had to get some fresh air after Clark once again fed her a load of bull about the beating he took like some sort of champion boxer with a famed chin of steel a few minutes before. She found herself standing outside, looking down at the spray of the ocean, listening to the rhythmic hiss and crash - allowing it to sooth and calm her. Once her mind settled enough to think things through, something tickled the back of her consciousness. Something she could almost remember. It seemed so close, barely off to the side, and if she could just turn her head fast enough she would finally capture it. But a strange fog was settled heavily over her memory. That mysterious fog thickly enshrouding the tickle of recognition, and every time she reached out to grasp it, it was like she was shining a bright light through the fog, obscuring the picture even further.

She ran her fingers along the railing and her thoughts drifted back to Clark. Kissing Clark…wow, she had kissed Clark, twice. And that's what eventually did it. Memories twisted, turned, and finally cleared, unlocking a series of images that tied together into a disjointed but recognizable slideshow of what could only be past events. She felt like she lacked the complete picture, gaps spread between details, but the recovered time was enlightening and well worth it: kissing Clark, soaring over the city, streaking at unimaginable speeds, a dark alley and what was later understood to be a green clad poser, stolen intimate moments and parties crashed. All that combined with everything that happened tonight and her eyes were wide open. She _had_ had plenty of suspicions before, Clark was nothing if not a bit strange, but now everything made so much sense. Clark. He could do unbelievable things. Things that too closely matched Metropolis' shy hero to be coincidence.

Her anger died then and there. Next came hurt. How long had she known Clark…how long had he lied to her! Did he not trust her? Did he not care enough to be open? The man she saw as her best friend didn't think highly enough of her to confide his greatest burden with her, but beyond that he went so far as to purposefully mislead her. She showed him more of herself, was more vulnerable, let her walls fall further with him than anyone else, but he hid himself from her still. Went so far as to interact with her as two separate people.

Then she considered his burden more closely. He was different from everyone else and he used his unique abilities to work from the background, saving people from the shadows of anonymity, never expecting recognition or even thanks. How could she not respect and admire him for that. She had seen how people with abilities had abused them and how those without had abused those with in the name of science and the supposed betterment of mankind. The hurt diminished, whispers of it remained, combated by determined understanding. Clark was far more than the mild mannered reporter he played on a daily basis - she would have to get used to that.

Next, awe made an appearance. The same man who spent the weekends playing silly videogames, enjoying movie marathons, and working side by side with her everyday, also patrolled the dark streets of Metropolis giving the criminal element a symbol to fear and the good people one to embrace. She knew what a good heart he had, and marveled how he was able to share it with an entire city, caring and risking himself for strangers as though they were old friends. Warmth spread throughout her chest and admiration seriously bordering love encompassed her.

Then the all important debate warred within her. Should she confront him with what she had put together and demand an overdue explanation, or respect his silence and wait until he came to her, if that ever happened. At first there was no question, she wanted answers, needed answers, dammit. She could practically taste them, her curiosity and thirst for knowledge overwhelming all else. How long had she wanted to ferret out Metropolis' guardian's story? Finally...the Red and Blue Blur!

Her ardor, however, cooled under the undeniable weight of reason. He had motives for keeping this from her. A central part of her knew that and demanded she respect them. She heard her own voice advising Chloe years earlier that if a friend's secret wasn't hurting anyone, then she should wait and be supportive until said friend wanted to open up. Sometimes she hated it when she was right.

She heard heavy footfalls and instinctively knew it was him. She could feel him standing behind her just watching her watch the sea. She put all her revelations, conclusions and decisions in order, forming a plan of action. She would give him little nudges, allowing him every opportunity to be honest without demanding anything, and see where the chips fell. A spark of hope coursed through her veins as he took his place beside her, but nervous apprehension bunched her shoulders as well.

As it turned out he continued to utilize lame excuses and explanations. She couldn't hide her disappointment and it ran rampant in her for the span of multiple heartbeats before she ruthlessly shut it away. She hadn't needed her hand pressed over his heart, feeling his pulse jump in his chest, to know he was lying. His eyes spoke a thousand times more definitevely. She had to turn away to stop herself from asking more of him than he was clearly willing to give. She could not deny the sting of his staunch refusal to let her in. But that was his choice...his right.

Now, here they were caged in Oliver's limo, which seemed to have shrunk considerably since the last time they were there. She kept glancing at Clark when his attention was directed elsewhere. She wished she could be angry with him; it would make this much simpler emotionally. Anger was easy. Plus, it would at the very least temper her desire to slide onto his lap and steal a taste of his lips - twice was apparently not sufficient - but she understood…despite it all, she understood. Tonight would certainly stick out in her memories for the foreseeable future. He caught her looking his way and met her eyes. She immediately ripped her gaze away, guilty at being caught, but she saw the unshielded desire and regret in him before her hasty retreat.

She caught him looking her way several times and felt a schoolgirl giddiness under the heat of his stare. This was ridiculous; she was a grown adult, dammit. She could see Oliver watching them from the corner of her eye. She felt like a monkey in a zoo every time he smiled his clever knowing grin. She wanted to tell him where to shove that grin, but refrained, figuring it would bring her more embarrassment than satisfaction.

A growing itch settled at the base of her spine. They were almost to the hotel and soon she would be alone with him. Oh boy.

~*~

_They managed to pull back from the electromagnetic pull that seemed to suck them ever closer as they stared into the depths of the other's eyes. They were each still staunchly holding back from what their bodies wanted, nay demanded. The top reason being their friendship…deeply valued by both. Once they intentionally plundered the erotic treasure the other's lips provided their platonic love would never be the same – would it even survive? They probed each other for answers as their lips hovered expectantly close. This was a heavy decision to make for both…were they even in the state to make it with any objectivity as worked up as both knew they were?_

They were balanced precariously on a teeter totter weighing their feelings and the possible ramifications…both disastrous and ecstatic.

Clark let out a simple plea, begging her to provide him with some clairvoyance, using only a single word…"Lois."

She responded just as lost with an appeal of her own, "Clark?"

They rested panting against each other in a hopeless stalemate. Clark's arms still wrapped possessively around her waist and her hands lying motionless on the ridge by his neck where they had worked his jacket half off his shoulders. Decisions…are they ever easy, they both wondered as want oozed through their bodies like a molten trail of lava.

~*~

He had bulled over her defenses once again, and she had let herself fall into him again. It felt great and right to be in his arms, but she couldn't forget the fact that he had lied directly to her face not an hour earlier - that should bother her and mean something, right?.

His darkened eyes intoxicated her, his body engulfed her making her want nothing other than to forget everything but him, and then he was moving towards her. Her heart and body sat frozen in anticipation, waiting to welcome his lips, while her mind screamed and railed at her to back up and think better of this. He pulled her closer and just as he had almost captured his target, her, that voice broke through to her and won out, throwing her into motion, she turned away at the last second; Clark connected with the smooth plane of her cheek.

She almost groaned in disappointment. Clark did, quitely and low in his throat.

"Lois?" He asked softy in a husky voice. He leaned back. Had he read this all wrong? No. No, he couldn't have, but she had undeniably rejected his advance. " Are you okay?"

She untangled herself from his arms and took half a dozen shaky steps away from him – he released her most unwillingly. Much easier to think and breath at that distance, she knew. Clark felt cold at her absence and his stomach clenched in anticipation of an imminent blow.

"Yeah. I think so. W-we just haven't really talked about this. I mean, Clark, this is too big to just blindly stumble into because we had a stressful night and got thrown together in the trenches so to speak." She wrung her hands and looked up from under furrowed brows, eyes raw with un-insulated emotion.

"Is that all you think is going on?" Doubt permeated his question thickly. His stance became defensive, arms crossed protectively over his chest – he braced himself more solidly as she pulled away even further. She began to pace and his eyes followed her back and forth though his head remaining stone still, disbelieving.

"Well, think about it Clark. We've known each other for years, and only under the pressure of being shot at and threatened at gun point did we turn to each other…for comfort...in that way." She couldn't believe how steady her voice delivered the theory that even her heart refused to embrace, but, in that moment, her mind and flight instict were her masters.

Hurt flashed across his features.

He fought the lump in his throat. "Is that how you feel?" Vulnerable puppy dog eyes asked her.

She groaned inwardly. He was pulling out the big guns. "It's a psychological fact that heart pounding, life threatening situations like tonight release chemicals in the brain that aren't conducive to logical reasoning. They make you feel things and connect with people in ways you would not under normal, everyday circumstances."

He looked at her like she had grown horns and shook his head. What was she doing? Why was she doing it? "Chemicals?" His brain wasn't working well enough to come up with a better rebuttal, being completely caught off guard by her justification for earlier and lost by her sudden distance. He couldn't help but fear that he had brought this all on himself somehow; maybe if he had told her everything about himself during one of the many opportunities over the years she wouldn't be running from him now - she would know him well enough to recognize conclusively he would not fall for something so flimsy.

She moved towards her room and he followed, not willing to let her off so easily. "Yes. Look," she turned back at the cusp of her doorway and route to escape, "you're my best friend. I don't know what happened tonight, but we just need to be smart...think about what's best for us. Don't you agree?"

He did, but was sure that their ideas about what was best would differ widely. All he could say was, "I guess that is a good idea." His heart seized at the thought that she was really slipping away from him...bit by cool calm rational bit.

He stopped right in front of her and her expression softened lovingly. "You're the guy I can come to with anything, and I'm there for you too, I think you know that. I just…I-I…hope you understand...goodnight, Clark," she rushed out, losing her resolve under his intense stare. Weakened by his sad countenance, she indulged herself by tiptoeing to lay a quick kiss on his cheek before spinning and rushing into the safety of her bedroom, closing the door swiftly behind her.

Clark leaned his back against the thick wood barrier. How had things slipped away from him so fast? They had been on the same page and then, bam, she had shifted into reverse and left him reeling. He wanted to knock until she was forced to come back out and face him - face them - but doing so would probably just upset her, make her mad or possibly hostile. The whole of his solid weight sunk resignedly into the door, head lulling back, demonstrating for any who might glance his way deep fatigue.

Lois turned back to the closed door, leaning her forehead against the cool grains, hand on the knob. She immediately wanted to undo it, run back and pull to her, but she had to think. The bite of his deception still fresh on her mind. Besides their friendship, she had to consider how she felt about him playing vigilante – Lois had been around the block with heroes before. But this…this was different. This was Clark. Did his powers change how strongly she felt? How he had somehow slipped into her heart and possess her without her even realizing what was happening?

She answered her internal question instantly and without hesitation, _no_.

God, she wanted him: heart, body and soul. Her head lost the battle to her rapidly beating heart. She took a step back and jerked the door open sharply, determined to go after him. She yelped and jumped back spryly as the hulking frame of the object of her desire fell in towards her. He grunted as he hit the floor at her feet, looking up at her with sparkling blue eyes. A startled giggle escaped her.

"Smooth, Smallville."

~*~

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments. I truly appreciate you guys!


	8. Chapter 6

So, I know this is grossly overdue, but life decided to beat on me for awhile and writing was low on my list of priorities. Plus, I wanted you guys to have plenty of time to enjoy the awesome summer fics…you believe me, right? ;D

Okay, enough of that. I have to give a rating warning. I don't think I'm a hard core smut writer, but I would still put the highest rating on this chapter...I think it qualifies. So, younglings need not apply and all that jibberish . If you don't like that sort of thing…well sorry.

A special thanks to all you who have taken the time to drop me a note (it means a lot!), waited this out and are still interested…you guys rock! Hope you enjoy!

**Previously:**

_Lois turned back to the closed door, leaning her forehead against the cool grains, hand on the knob. She immediately wanted to undo it, run back and pull him to her, but she had to think. The bite of his deception still fresh on her mind. Besides their friendship, she had to consider how she felt about him playing vigilante – Lois had been around the block with heroes before. But this…this was different. This was Clark. Did his powers change how strongly she felt? How he had somehow slipped into her heart and possess her without her even realizing what was happening?__no__._

She answered her internal question instantly and without hesitation,

God, she wanted him: heart, body and soul. Her head lost the battle to her rapidly beating heart. She took a step back and jerked the door open sharply, determined to go after him. She yelped and jumped back spryly as the hulking frame of the object of her desire fell in towards her. He grunted as he hit the floor at her feet, looking up at her with sparkling blue eyes. A startled giggle escaped her.

"Smooth, Smallville."

**Chapter 6:**

Lois gazed down at her prostrate partner frozen below, her own shock at his sudden crash through her door embedded a slight shake in her light laugh as giddy surprise widened her eyes.

"When they say to throw yourself at a woman's feet I'm fairly certain they don't mean it quite this…literally." They shared a sarcastic, insincerely tight lipped grin and Clark rolled his eyes in resignation. He knew he should get to his feet because Lois already had enough advantages between them, it seemed, without him adding being sprawled on his back at her feet to the list. And she certainly gave no inclination of intending to move, continuing to loom over him and looking altogether too satisfied with their relative positions.

"Thanks for the tip, Lois. I don't think I could have figured that one out without you," Clark shot back the embarrassed tinge receding from his cheeks. He clambered awkwardly to his feet, hands smoothing his disheveled jacket. Lois' eyes never left him, tracking his fiddling with superior interest.

"One save at a time, Smallville."

Her arms came to rest across her breasts and the reality of their situation returned all at once. Her consuming need to chase Clark down not a minute before washed back over her, effectively wiping her smile away cleanly, leaving an anxiety twisted brow in its stead. Now that he was there in front of her the worry and nerves were back in knee buckling force, clenching her stomach like a vice. If only she were better at expressing her feelings through words then this conversation would be volumes easier. Her hands ran nervous circles across her stomach and drawing herself up, shoulders ruler straight, she fought the urge to brush this all away and retreat to emotionally safe territory in double time. But no, she could face this thing. Face him.

_I can!_

The silence stretched and he fidgeted, shifting his weight from side to side. If Clark were one to sweat he would have been dripping. Lois' mood had darkened so dramatically, so quickly, and she was standing so silently that he had no idea what was running through her complicated head. But it was never a good thing when she was this quiet, and straight up frightening when it lasted this long. He drew on his courage, resolve and growing concern, stepped closer, and laid his hand lightly on her shoulder. Her eyes flashed up in near confusion. She seemed so completely lost in some private internal debate that she had all but forgotten him standing right in front of her.

"Is everything okay, Lois? You're awfully quiet…frighteningly so." His voice was low and warm. Her only discernable response was a slight lift of the chin as she worried her bottom lip and looked penetratingly beyond his exterior to somewhere deeper, apparently trying to decipher his innermost thoughts. Her face remained stoically unreadable, a mask of vacillating apprehension. More time slipped by and still she was silent. Unconsciously, his thumb sketched small circles across her clavicle. "Lois, you're beginning to scare me here. I never thought I would see the day that I had to beg you to speak."

She snorted, one lid squinted half shut derisively as she looked at him sideways, but he knew her too well and could see how her eyes danced playfully under a single raised brow.

"I'm fine, Smallville. As fine as I can be considering we...y-you. It's just…just-" she sighed deeply. Organizing her thoughts would be exponentially easier without him touching her in such a distracting manner, but then who was she kidding, Clark touching her in any manner had proved distracting these days. None the less, she took a step back and he wordlessly let his hand fall. She pivoted sharply on her heel and, stilettos sinking into the bedroom's thick carpets, she strode away, taking up a lookout position at the glass door that let out onto the expansive high-rise balcony. Her eyes traced the dark cityscape, but the butterflies buzzing frantically around her stomach seemed oblivious to the calming nature of its intrinsic beauty. She felt more than heard him glide up to loom behind her, looking over her shoulder and sharing the inspiring view, not to mention the unsettling butterflies.

"Yeah? Just?" He prompted encouragingly in hopes of keeping her talking now that she had begun, if a short broken beginning it was.

Her hand rested on the smooth silver handle pressed against her hip and after a silent contemplative moment pushed down, absently swinging the door away, and followed it out into the cool night air. Invigorated by the breeze, chilled and carrying a discernable dampness as it rolled off the ocean, she turned back in time to see Clark step after her, determined.

"What are we doing, Clark?" She asked so abruptly he flinched.

"Hmm? Standing at the top of Star City," he waved his hand across the horizon theatrically, "getting a fresh breath of brisk Pacific air and appreciating the view Ollie was so thoughtful to provide." Smile oozing charm in his attempt to defuse her tension, he chuckled. He was not so naive as to misunderstand the meaning of her question, and realized his rather poor attempt at disarming her worry fell flat as she shook her head angrily at him. He was still poised to break into a nervous sweat at any moment, but he was just so relieved that she was actually opening this line of discussion with him that he felt lighter than he could have possibly hoped after having her door shut in his face.

"Don't do that! This is really not the time. I'm being serious." Her brow furrowed and she pinned him intently with solemn hazel eyes. "You didn't agree earlier…you know about…a-about my theory on things. So, tell me, Clark. What _are_ we doing? What the hell is this thing, this…spark between us? Because, I have to admit, I'm at a bit of a loss." Well, that was not completely accurate. She had a pretty clear picture what was going on…the dilemma that left her dazed and confused was what exactly she – _they_ – should to do about the miasma of attraction crowding thickly about.

The deep vulnerability he read in her every gesture sobered him. Profoundly touched by a supremely rare glimpse into this open facet of Lois that she only showed to the very select few, he considered his words with deliberate care. Calculated fingers messaged his neck a moment, and then he drew nearer her as carefully as he would approach an easily excitable, cornered creature. Discarding all sarcasm, he bared open honesty.

"I don't know, exactly. I won't claim to have all the answers. But I do know it's strong, and not the result of one day or night. No matter how amazing or stress filled." His legs carried him a span closer, voice dropping into a gravely baritone.

A lump stuck in her throat, taking two long swallows to clear. "Yeah, well, we are…I mean…how long have we been friends?"

"Secret or acknowledged," he teased kindly. She punched his shoulder with accustomed playfulness but gave him another 'be serious' look. "Okay, ok." He raised his hands in surrender. "A long time, Lois. Some really – great doesn't adequately describe it but - great years during which we grew out of those kids who couldn't seem to find an inch in common, outside of our agreement to argue about every other thing, into a man and woman whose lives have grown together in practically every facet. We work together. We play together." He gave her his highest watt smile and she felt the corners of her mouth twitch in spite of herself, as well as an increased beat of those damn butterfly wings. "And how could I leave out all those bad guys we-" he coughed interjecting, "- _you_ - find with whom to get us into hot water together, making nights like tonight that much more interesting."

"Tonight was all your fault. Thank you very much," she glowered defensively.

He laughed. "Granted. But I would call it the exception and not the rule. Wouldn't you agree?"

Instead of dignifying his question with an answer, she evaded smoothly, "You know you love me when I latch onto a story and refuse to stop chasing it short of uncovering hidden truths in the name of justice, even when losers like Berker throw themselves in my way as a human roadblock." Her impassioned rebuttal drove her feat a step in the direction of his darkened starlit form.

"You're right," he acquiesced without hesitation, reaching for her waist and pulling her towards him. "I find your tenacity very…_endearing_." His suggestive tone hinted strongly at a severe understatement belied by his word of choice. Heated eyes glued to hers and voice dropped, his hand slipped up her silky back. She shivered. The gentleman in him misinterpreted her reaction and quickly released her, pulling off his jacket and settling its oversized width around her delicate shoulders. "Better?"

"Um…yeah…t-thanks."

She was immediately surrounded, swamped, by his scent, clouding her senses in a near delirious haze, and she buried her chin in the high neckline – indulging herself and taking him all in. As support for suddenly elastic knees, her right shoulder slumped against the high glass safety wall that kept hotel patrons from falling from these twisting heights to the unbending street below. The wind whipped an unruly strand of hair across her eyes and, before he could think twice, Clark moved on instinct; tenderly his middle finger brushed the brunette locks behind her ear, stroking her cheek as he went.

Lois' thoughts were raw and bare, regressing to their most basic beginnings. All ideas of powers, trust or lack thereof, and deception so far from thought, she might have wondered if they had ever truly held precedence in her mind, had she been capable just then. His blue eyes were dark, holding her rapt as though his world had reduced to her and only her. Pupils, dilated to the point of midnight black pools, consumed her. She felt herself leaning into his deliciously warm hand as it came to rest in the crook of her pliant neck, and acceded willingly when he gently tilted her chin up to better meet his conspicuously descending mouth.

Clark felt like he was flying high on the only earthly drug he had come across able to slip through his steel control and cloud his stalwart immunities, Lois Lane. He could see the bright, full moon, clearly reflected in her upraised eyes, dancing along the green like spun silk throughout her multihued orbs. At some point, of its own volition, his hand found its way to her chin – possibly acting on his innermost desires before he could consciously acknowledge they even existed. Thumb lightly tracing the entrancing dimple on her face - so openly displaying desire – he lifted her chin, wanting nothing more than to ransack those pouting lips.

His heart was working faster than a racing piston, seemingly attempting to beat its way to freedom straight through his chest, and all remaining thought tangled into a thick, snarled mass of Lois. He held himself back, refusing to move further without some sign from her. He waited, searching her features. As if she could read his mind, her eyes darted to his lips before returning sluggishly up. Their gazes mirrored an identical urge to jump farther into the burgeoning newborn dynamic which neither could currently classify nor resist.

The pull to share the depth of all he felt drove him heedlessly forward, but words inconveniently failed him; though, he knew one sure way to express just how much he needed her, how deeply he cared. He was slipping towards her once again when her voice broke through the fog miring him as surely as desert quicksand.

"Clark." His name, spoken just so, caressed him much like a lover's kiss. "What about our friendship. I can't lose you," the little girl in Lois admitted to him sweetly if a touch breathless.

"Never. You'll never lose me, Lois. I promise; I won't let that happen. And about our friendship, I'm told the best ones always start this way." His voice never shook or faltered, and his eyes never wavered in their steel surety.

"Are you sure?" She mentally cursed herself for asking, for needing to ask, voice floating away impossibly weak – stricken by insufferable vulnerability and a fear that nagged at her like a recurring cold. He meant too much to lose because of a hasty or ill advised decision. No matter how he made her heart race, she wouldn't throw away all they had for a romp in the sheets. She had to be sure, didn't she? After all her bad relationships, bad choices when it came to men, and being left behind was it so inconceivable that she hesitated here?

Lord, she didn't know how she would gracefully disentangle herself from the awkwardness that would invariably spring up between them if he did in fact change his mind now, lips poised, frozen so near their final destination. Her hands, moving in direct contradiction of her voiced uncertainty, slid up his chest, nails dragging behind leaving invisible scores, and fisted his shirt, affectively anchoring herself to him.

A growl rumbled deep in his thick chest, "God, yes, Lois. Let me show you. I'll give you any and all the proof you need, but we can't let fear be the means of keeping us apart. If you never risk anything, you won't ever gain anything, and that is no way to live. Trust me."

He knew he had promised himself to never include her in the dangers involved with his double life and that meant he was also strictly forbidden from having a romantic relationship with her either, but his own words rang true for him and he knew he couldn't walk away from her this time. He couldn't hide from her or how he felt for the rest of his life…couldn't let the fear that something _might_ happen to her if she was too close to him cripple him. She felt so right in his arms, and when he kissed her the world grew brighter. Surely, he could be selfish just this once and get what he truly wanted. Besides, she somehow managed to find trouble what seemed like every other day. What marginal difference would the additional weight his alter ego brought to the picture be?…maybe just maybe if he were around more often he could actually keep her out of most of her dangerous encounters. Wouldn't that make it all worth it…serve to balance the scales?

His confidently deep voice tickled her lips, and in only moments she relented in his grasp. He felt the last of her resistance melt away like the remnants of morning's due under the sun's steady rays and swiftly drew her to him, bringing himself down to her inviting lips, _finally_ prowling their scarlet planes.

Clark brushed her lips, slowly. She responded in kind, unhurried in pleasantly measured gentle strokes, bringing the white hot sparks to a fury in them both. Lois sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, steadily deepening the kiss till both were near shuddering from the hum of current buzzing between them. Pulse racing at his neck, he pulled her flush against him, eyes rolling back as she arched into him and grazed teeth across his lower lip with deliberate softness.

As close as she was, he wanted more. His tongue played along the crease of her lips, courting entrance as his fingers whispered under the jacket and down her spine to possessively press her hips sharply into him. A wave of electricity shot outward from her stomach. A sharp intake of air hissed through her teeth. She opened up, her own tongue welcoming his searching member in a wet caress, finally engaging him in a sweeping dance.

A sound Clark had never heard himself make before came from somewhere deep as their salacious dual grew more fervid, frantic and impassioned. Control was completely lost to him and he backed her quickly up against the brick wall facing. Her lungs burned for air as Clark sandwiched her forcefully between his body and the wall, but she refused to give in to their demands, lost to far stronger ones. Instead, threading her fingers through his hair, she pulled his head down hard with crushing force. The kiss turned desperate, hungry; tension built over years broke all levies and lust flooded to the fore, madly trying to appease its appetite with every indulging taste their lips greedily took.

Moments later, she lost the war of wills she was waging with her lungs and broke their kiss, gasping for air, head flung back, eyes blearily tracing the stars. Clark didn't lose a beat, trailing wet open mouthed kisses along her jaw and down her neck. His ragged breath washed against her neck and his lips found her pulse point. Teeth joining the enterprise to drive her insane, he nipped lightly along the smooth bare column. She moaned as he found a particularly sensitive spot and felt her core heat, molten fever rising – she muttered his name in a rough whisper.

Clark grasped his jacket's lapels and in a single, jerky motion rid her of the cover, letting it fall to the ground without a second thought. Fingers lost in raven depths, she forced his head away from her neck and captured his mouth once again. His hand ran down her side and under her left thigh. Her mouth worked over his in what he could only describe as magic and the thing she was doing with her tongue worked on undoing him. Lacking apparent mercy for his sanity she did it again; he groaned, knees sagging, and forcefully pulled her thigh up onto his hip, stepping fully between her legs, pressing them intimately together. In perfect rhythm she snaked the leg around him, drawing him deeper.

Her itching palms left their high perch to wander the expanse of his chest, working on memorizing every hard inch. He was so sculpted and she loved the feel of him under her hands, but she needed to touch him – skin on skin. Nimble fingers deftly released to top button of his shirt from its sheath. Breathing heavily, they broke apart and stared transfixed at each other, swollen lips from furious kisses framed by red excitement flushed cheeks. They just stared for the count of ten.

Clark dipped down to gently make a sweeping pass over her full lips once more – one more hit – like an addict. Moving back, he soaked her up with his eyes, memorizing every detail. Heart erratic, heightened color in her cheeks, hair trying to break out of its upsweep, she had never looked more beautiful to him and he couldn't force his eyes away. She smiled up at him, impishly, from under chocolate lashes in a special way that told him to stand still. Licking her lips and biting the side of her cheek, one hand worked painfully slow down the black buttons, freeing them and exposing more taut, tan skin with each flip of the wrist. Her other followed behind, a solitary manicured nail engraving a fiery path down his chest as it worked his shirt open and set his blood boiling – stomach clenching on the point where pleasure bordered pain. He stood perfectly still, submitting to her study wordlessly. Those hands froze him in a state of rapt fascination, eyes following them down his front automatically. Every few seconds he snuck a look at her expression – becoming more glazed and lidded.

Tuxedo shirt laying wide open, her hands swept in to graze him from collar to belt. He swallowed roughly and had to clench his fists and force them to his sides to keep them off of her as she continued to trace each ripple and muscle, insatiably.

"Lois," he groaned. "You're killing me." She chuckled darkly and bent to kiss the skin she had just so laboriously exposed to the steady rays of the moon standing guard overhead. His chest came alive with tingles, everywhere her fingers and lips went they followed.

Finally, the strain of keeping his hands at his sides became too much and his restraint shattered. Clark bent and scooped her up – one arm under her legs the other her back. She yelped in surprise and flung her arms around his neck to steady herself in his strong arms.

"Why, Lois, did you just scream. Hmm, I'll keep that in mind. You have faced down murderers, meteor freaks, and terrorist with that Lane cool as chill as the underside of the pillow, but all it takes to make you squeal like a girl is me sweeping you off your feat," Clark teased flirtatiously, grinning down and tightening his arms around her; he hugged her closer. She relaxed and smirked back as he turned to step into her room.

"Squeal? I did not squeal. Really, don't get –" she nuzzled his neck and grazed her teeth across his earlobe sending shivers down his spine and tightening his stomach further. He mewled and, barley reaching her bed, sat down hard on the edge. She shifted, purposefully, settling herself more comfortably on his lap. His forehead lolled against hers at the friction. Except for the devious humor in her tone, she continued nonchalantly, "- don't get cocky, Smallville. Because you wouldn't want to see me make you squeal like a g-girl."

She ended in a stutter because Clark quickly decided to busy himself while she taunted. He slipped the black strap of her dress off her shoulder, slowly traced the curve of her neck with the backs of his fingers, along the ridge of her shoulder, and inched down her arm, leaving a trail of prickled skin. Their eyes met at the same moment, holding. They swallowed loaded gulps of air, attempting to temper their racing hearts and delving deeply into the face staring back – seeing a myriad of emotions, flickering and shifting.

The darkness in the room crowed the two motionless figures and was only interrupted by strings of shady celestial luminance slipping through the open door and large windows. Clark pulled back and sighed deeply. The burden of responsibility and obligation that he always carried, but that she had been able to chase from his constant thoughts, was back as his mind finally registered exactly what they were doing and how far he had let it progress already.

She immediately felt when his mood shifted. Brows drawn down, concealing his eyes behind shields of shadow, he refused to look her in the eye, instead studying the floor with unearned interest. She cupped his chin and coaxed it up.

"What's wrong, Clark? Are you okay?"

Her concern only made the guilt already multiplying at rabbit rapidity increase. He had been so ready to throw her down on the bed and shut everything but her out till morning, but how could he do that when she didn't truly know him – she couldn't possibly understand what she was getting herself involved with and that wasn't fair to her. He had lied about himself to her once again that very night. Now he felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't believe he had lost all control and been so careless. He never meant for things to come this far, but he was discovering that Lois could exhume a passionate side of him that previously lay dormant in untapped regions. Certainly, no one else could make him act so impulsively – just letting himself go. She had very liberating affects on him.

"I know you're not going to be pulling a filibuster anytime soon, but come on, Clark…talk to me. What's wrong?" To her irritation his head fell again. She pulled it back up. "Not that the bobble head imitation doesn't have the potential for comedy, but let's just agree to keep those eyes on me while we talk, okay? Okay! Because we are talking, even if, as usual, you aren't holding up your end," she ribbed, but to her disappointment he didn't smile. She thought that Clark could give a cemetery lessons on being grave.

For the life of her she couldn't say what had come over him so suddenly. One second he was demonstrating the sinful capacity his attentive lips hid from the world and the next he had regressed into a classic Clark brood session. Seriously, what was his problem all of a sudden?

_He better figure it out quick because if he thinks he can pole vault us across our carefully defined 'friends line' and then, just when it's getting interesting drop me flat on my face without the luxury of a safety net, he has another thing coming. _

He finally spoke, tone ripe with bitterness. "I'm sorry, Lois. This is all my fault. I…I lost c-con… That is…when I kiss you I just can't think straight. And when I'm not thinking I always stumble and make a mess of things." Her frown was growing to epic proportions. He realized that this was all coming out wrong and by the looks she was shooting him, the situation was steadily growing worse with each additional word. In a panic fueled by fears of losing her with the placement another wrong verbal step, he began back peddling. "Not that I'm saying I'm sorry about this," he motioned between them. Running a frustrated hand through his hair, he continued, "God, how could I be? Lois, it's just that there is so much you don't know…that you deserve to know. But as things stand, I just feel like a jerk…like…I don't know, like I'm taking advantage of you."

Lois' incredulous laugh came out more like a bark. "Oh, Clark." She felt the makings of a headache laying dormant behind her eyes. The pained pinch of his face tugged at her heart and she reached out to sooth him. "You sure have some funny ideas sometimes, I swear. I guess I shouldn't complain. There are way too many jerks out there, but you don't happen to be one of them. For the record, you really can't claim to be taking advantage of me when you're lucky I left you with your shirt." Her fingers ran down his bare chest.

He just shook his head ruefully and replaced her strap, covering the smooth skin of her shoulder and shifting his focus to cooling his body; he summoned images of anything that might successfully distract him from the warm body perched on his lap: a long cold shower – on second thought a dip in the Arctic with an iceberg for a floaty might be better, puppies…hmm, or maybe something more distasteful like mucking out horse stalls.

Feeling marginally more composed, he returned his attention to Lois and tried to recall what she had just told him. She was frowning at him again, no doubt displeased with his lack of response. How was he supposed to explain himself?

"No, you don't understand. I have…secrets. I haven't given you the chance to say no, to change your mind." His head fell, forehead hiding on her shoulder.

She laughed again. She couldn't help herself. He was cute…rip your hair out in frustration cute, but cute.

"Listen, Clark. Everyone has secrets. If people waited around till they were secret free to get together, our species would have been extinct eons ago." He guffawed, rubbing his cheek against her, and shifted them back farther on the mattress. Beginning to understand the source of his frantic ripping of the emergency brake, she considered how to alleviate his guilt and stay true to herself at the same time. "I'm not saying that you should keep them forever, but at the beginning of a relationship it's all but inevitable for secrets to exist. Besides, if you keep up with this crazy talk about taking advantage, I might just have to set the record straight by showing you what it really looks like," she told him boldly in a painstakingly suggestive tone.

He looked up, finally, with a wide smile – a secret glint in his eyes.

"Why are you grinning at me like that, Smallville" she huffed, picking at a loose thread peeking out from behind the button at his neck, and compressed her lips, undecided whether she should be happy he was smiling or annoyed at his unpredictable shift of emotions.

"You think this is the beginning of a relationship?" If anything his smile widened.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but that had not been it and she fumbled to respond, suddenly self conscious. She had used the word relationship, hadn't she? And he had sprung on it like a carnivorous wildcat. When had she made that decision? "U-um…well. Hmm…y-yeah…I guess so, yeah." He pulled her closer, but she hardly noticed because she was nettled with nerves again. "I mean, do you want it to be?"

"No, Lois…I always end my night in some random woman's bedroom after a high society functions. It's sort of my thing." She hit him, not appreciating his sarcasm, and waited impatiently for him to answer her seriously. She didn't have long to wait. "I can't think of anything I want more than to be with you," he provided honestly, voice cracking with emotion, and stretched down to kiss her. It quickly grew passionate once more.

Their hands flew over each other with renewed energy as though the interruption never happened. Their lips played - tongues dueling and teeth nipping. Lois shifted trying to face him, but the material of her floor length gown restricted her from fully turning in his arms; though, her experimental repositioning had quickened Clark's pulse and he moaned softly, hands flashing to her hips.

She pulled back an inch almost giggling. He surged after her, but she evaded him smoothly.

"At least we know one thing you are not keeping secret," she said, far too knowingly to be taken innocently.

She regretted opening her mouth immediately when his entire body stiffened. He went from pliable to stone in an instant. She felt like she was resting on a hard Clark shaped granite block.

_Oh, good job, Lois_. _You just had to make a smart comment and send him running for the hills again. When will I learn when to just swallow my tongue?_

"Lois…" his voice came out so softly she leaned toward him unconsciously to hear better. "I need to tell you some things about myself. I need to…and, for the first time, I really want to. I want you to know me…really know me. I wanted to tell you so badly earlier, and a hundred times before tonight. But I have always kept myself in check because in my own way I was trying to protect you and I suppose because from my earliest memories my parents impressed upon me the absolute need for secrecy. Until keeping that part of myself separate and hidden grew from practice to habit to nearly unbreakable compulsion. I've never told anyone else what I'm about to tell you because I wanted to. And if anything I say changes the way you see or feel about me," he paused and tried to clear the sudden blockage in his throat at the idea she wouldn't want him anymore once she knew everything. Pressing on with determination, he continued, "…I will understand."

If she hadn't already known what he was struggling to tell her, she would have been extremely worried and probably scared half out of her mind. But as it was all she could think was: _He is going to tell me. Oh wow, he is really going to tell me. Clark is the Red and Blue Blur. Of course he is, Lois. You already knew that! But, omg, Clark is the freaking Red and Blue Blur_. The knowledge still blew her away. No doubt it would take some getting used to, but the tone of doom he was applying thick as honey made it seem like he expected her to run screaming from the room, tossing furniture between them to slow any possible pursuit, as soon as she knew.

He opened his mouth to continue when an epiphany of sorts struck her. "Lois, I am mggf", she muffled further speech with a finger over his lips. He looked at her, startled and clearly confused, unsure why she had stopped him.

"I want to know everything about you. I do. Or at least everything you want to tell me…in time…when you're ready to share. But one thing I won't stand for is you being pressured into telling me. And sitting here thinking about it just now, the idea of you telling me under these circumstances – because we might sleep together…well, that seems like the worst possible type of pressure. Soooo, don't tell me now. Tell me when the time is right…when you feel comfortable and ready."

"But, Lois, I want-"

She talked over his interjection, voice rising higher. "And just for your peace of mind, there is nothing you can tell me that will change the way I feel about you. Nothing that can change how much I want you to kiss me…" She rose off his legs, brushing her fingers across his lips as she withdrew. His body slumped in disappointment at her loss, but a moment later she was back dress pulled up so she could place one leg on either side of his, straddling his waist. "…how much I want you to make love to me."

Clark's heart beat a deafening staccato in his ears as he heard everything he ever wanted to hear – acceptance at the highest level – and his heart swelled with an abundance of love. When she looked at him, he could see it in her eyes without doubt and in crystal clarity, she saw Clark Kent. The real Clark Kent. Not what he could do with his mythical strength, but the man behind the blue t-shirt and red farm jacket. A man who wasn't perfect but had flaws – which she had endless delight in bringing up at the most inconvenient of times, such as one of their many verbal jousts – as well as estimable attributes, but ones he didn't need super powers to live up to.

"You can't be sure of that. That there is nothing about me that would change your mind," he argued.

"Yes I can," she said, succinctly.

He didn't move to stop her hands when they slipped under the edges of his shirt. He was entranced and struck immobile as the soft material gave way, inch by tiny inch, to her purposeful fingers. Unhurried, she pushed it off his shoulders, letting the cloth slowly slide down his back and arms. Hazel eyes replaced it as a covering. Every nerve ending awakened, he threaded his fingers with hers.

"How can you be sure?" Doubt battled desire as he breathed shallowly. Her light fingers making thinking a difficult task and concentrating on anything other than the way she brought his body alive a real challenge.

She captured his eyes before answering, trying to drive each point home with a pointed look. "Because anything you tell me is just a topping on the cake. It won't change who you are in here." She ran their connected digits over his heart. "It won't change the fact that you are the best man I know. You are kind, gentle, caring, compassionate, brave, loyal, and so much more. And I know that whatever else there is to tell won't change or negate those things. And they are what I love. They are what makes you _you_."

"Thank you, Lois. You can't possibly understand how much hearing you say that means. You are absolutely amazing, you know that?"

"Yes," she said, laughing.

He would have replied smartly, but his mouth was drawn to far more enjoyable duties; her neck to be precise. Her head rolled back to give him better access, and he wasted no time dragging his thick bottom lip the length of the her bare column and nipping her earlobe. She gasped. A moment later her hair encased them, and he realized she must have released it from its tentative restraint. He took deep breaths through his nose, enjoying the delicate fruity fragrance of her shampoo.

She was running her nails down his back in random isometric patterns. He stifled a throaty moan against her skin. His lips moved steadily downward, sampling her neck all the way to the tops of her breasts before, to his displeasure, running out of available skin.

She scooted off his lap, leaving him gape mouthed, eyes heavily lidded and hugging empty air.

"W-what's wrong?"

A devilish smile was her silent response. She chewed her lip, eyes traveling a scorchingly slow circuit up then down him. He looked too damn sexy for his own good, or maybe hers, sitting there shirtless with tousled hair and blue eyes brim with lust. He rocked back, returning her appreciative stare. She watched him with traces of amusement. Lois' hands rose to her shoulders, her devilish smirk redoubled its intensity and she began slipping the dress straps over her shoulders.

Clark watched thunderstruck as the black garment slipped away, baring more and more of her until it ended in a pool around her feet. He had to make multiple tries to finally breathe past the tightness swelling his throat shut. It made sense, yet he was still surprised, pleasantly, to discover no bra covering her perfect breasts. He couldn't have looked away from her if a circus troop had materialized out of thin air, breathing fire and pounding on resounding drums.

He took his sweet time letting his hungry eyes devour her sleek curves. Her waist looked tiny enough to fit between his two hands without a great stretch. The black lacey lingerie hid practically nothing, and his already tight groin twitched. He grew even more rigid at the way those high heels shaped her calves and he was on his feat with his arms around her quickly enough to spin her head.

"You are so beautiful," he nearly groaned. He dipped low, claiming her lower lip and pulling it away from its mate. Caving to the desire that flared as soon as her dress fell, his hands twisted between them and cupped her full breasts. His thumbs circled her pebbled nipples, ripping a harsh gasp from her.

He backed her towards the huge bed with every intention of tossing her summarily atop it. She had other ideas and when she felt the back of her knees touch bedding she turned them sharply, giving Clark a strong push to the chest which landed him on his back crossways on the king mattress. She stood over him archly, hands resting on lace clad hips, pulling off a level of dignity not entirely consistent with her level of undress.

"Here we are again, Smallville. Me on my feet and you on your back. This is beginning to become a pattern."

Striking quite positively the cockiest pose she had ever seen him adopt, he propped his head up on both arms to look her over deliberately and tried to dazzle her with a toothy grin. "What can I say…the view is better from here."

"Scandalous Mr. Kent. Who knew you had a seedy side tucked away behind that all-American farm boy exterior. I can't wait to see what else you're hiding in there." Lois stepped out of her shoes and, padding the few steps towards the motionless man, she crawled on top of him. Fingers tracing the outseam up his pants, she slipped a hand under him. He lifted his hips and she released his cummerbund, tossing it over her shoulder.

"I have no real defense. Except, you bring out unexpected sides of me." He ran his hands through her long hair, holding it back from her face as she leaned over him, dropping open wet kisses up his thickly muscled abdomen.

"Good to know," she mumbled.

His jaw moved to speak but fell open instead as she worked her tongue over his protruding nipple, flicking her tongue expertly. She sat back on his thighs pleased with the shudder that shook him. She zeroed in on his belt and began working it loose. She had it off in record time and turned her attention to the zipper.

Her vision blurred and she blinked rapidly, realizing her back was now pressed into the richly soft bed and she was staring into two blue eyes the owner of whom was looming over her – heat rolling off him in palpable waves. She pulled his head down, lips locking and tongues fighting for dominance. She wrapped her legs around him. He ground their centers together and she moaned his name so he did it again. Frustrated, her hands reached for his zipper again.

"Lose the pants, Smallville," she commanded.

"Yes ma'am," he agreed dryly. He shifted off her and before she could feel the loss of his heat he was back, covering her completely.

_The Red and Blue Blur indeed_, she couldn't help thinking.

Clark's head nestled in the curve of her breasts. His mouth moved from one to the other, making her gasp in bliss and lock her fingers behind his head, urging him closer. His teeth worried the left, velvety lips and tongue remedying in their wake, and his hand gently massaged its twin. He was steadily working her into a frenzy. His touches and the feel of his body covering her more thoroughly than she imagined possible had her near panting.

He wasn't faring much better. She was unbelievably soft – he couldn't stop touching her – and their bodies seemed to align, feeling so perfect like they belonged together. The legs locked around his waist stoked the fire in his stomach and he rolled his hips into her, pressing his erection against her. Panties the only thing standing between them, he teased the bundle of nerves ill concealed. They both groaned, simultaneously, Clark's free hand stroking up and down her thigh.

Her legs dropped away as he moved down her stomach, tongue mapping the ridge of her bellybutton before diving to the bottom. Hands still buried in his hair, she tugged, drawing his questioning eyes.

"I need you, Clark. Now." The truth was that she had never needed anyone like she did him. His every attention intensified the hot liquid at her core – the more so because her heart was chock full of him meaning she felt every brush and kiss twice as much. A predominately ignored corner of her mind wondered if this was what love truly felt like.

He nodded, slipping the delicate lace down her silky legs, reverently. He paused, kneeling between her legs.

"Are you sure?"

Her hand grasped him by the base, applying two leisurely strokes along his length.

"God yes." His eyes squeezed shut sharply as she ran him along her entrance, his powers springing to life perilously and he suddenly feared burning down the hotel around them.

He stayed his instinct to bury himself in her and croaked in a shaky voice, "I don't want to hurt you. I don't know where I'll find the strength, but if you tell me to stop I will."

"If you do, I'll have to hurt _you_! I'll be fine. We'll be fine," she reassured him, noticing his eyes clamped shut and a strained tightness around the corners. She stroked his brow, smoothing the tense wrinkles. "I want to be connected to you in every sense and look into your eyes when ecstasy takes you."

Said eyes opened. "Me too." He grasped her hips, positioning himself over her. He sunk down slowly, slipping his arms under her as he rested his upper body on his elbows. A collective sigh was released into the darkness as he filled her. He paused, breathing deeply to control himself, and their gazes locked. A silent conversation transpired, deep emotion and feelings neither knew any other way to express just then flew between them.

He started moving very tentatively above her, not fully over his worry of hurting her. She submitted to the pace for a short time, but soon her body demanded more and she moved up, hips aggressively meeting his, pressing the tempo. He told himself he should be holding back, but she wouldn't let him. And soon he was matching her wild abandon, their hearts racing in tandem.

He could feel the pressure building ominously. He claimed her in another kiss, loving how right she felt in his arms. She fit there so perfectly, soft curves in all the right places. He never wanted to leave these arms now that he was in them.

She had always known Clark was a tall broad guy, but he had never seemed as large as he did rocking above her and enveloping her easily in big strong arms. She was not a small woman, but he made her feel incredibly petite…delightfully so. She felt safe in his arms, as though nothing could touch her here. His head fell against her shoulder and she smiled at his soft loving murmurs.

She nudged him, flipping herself on top. She moved faster on him; hands on his middle she braced herself, nails digging in. The change in angle bore him deeper and she moaned his name. One hand on her hip and one stroking her chest, he followed her more fully into a passion induced haze. He felt himself nearing the end and let his hand fall to the juncture of her thighs. He sat up, not missing a stroke. He kissed her neck and his thumb circled her clit. She swore, loudly. Pulling his head back, she stared into his blue eyes. He thrust up twice more before she came apart in his arms. He held her to his chest as she shook, clamping down harder on him. His strength gave and he followed her into oblivion.

He fell back onto the bed eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling. As his breathing finally descended from gasps and his heartbeat from redlining, he felt her shift slightly on his chest. He loved the way she lay bonelessly atop him and a cocky grin pulled on his lips.

"Wow," he said, brushing her temple with his lips.

"Mmmm," she hummed. It was still too soon for intelligible thought not to mention words.

Another few minutes slipped by with Lois drawing shapes on his chest. "Have I told you yet how glad I am you decided to come to Star City this weekend," he asked, rubbing his hands up and down her back, soothingly. She laughed against his chest, planting a stray kiss or two.

"What do you say, Smallville. Highlight of your life," she teased.

"Hell yeah. And I have to say, if I had known this is what going out of town with you would be like, I absolutely would have gone with you to that convention a few months ago when you said I should."

His chest rumbled with a laugh against her cheek and she smiled. "I'm telling you, one of these days you will learn that I'm always right!"

"I don't know. I might need a few more lessons like tonight to really be sure."

"Huh. Anything is possible. Who knows…you might just get lucky."

He picked her up and stood, pulling the skewed covers back and settling them under them. He pulled her close again, wanting her as near as possible.

"Trust me, Lois. I feel lucky…the luckiest guy in the world."

She grinned widely from under raised brows. "Hmm, well we might just have to test that theory." Her neck stretched to kiss him. Her appetite for him rewetted already. He pulled her up, losing himself once more in her.

~*~

A/N: I have to admit that writing smut is very nerve racking for me. And if I'm completely honest I'm never really sure it's any good, but whatever there it is – for better or worse!

Comments and reviews are always appreciated.


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